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THE    HISTORY 


OF 


outkiTi  Methodism 


ON    THE 


E?AGIFIG    ^OASfH. 


By  the  Rev.  J.  C.  SIMMONS,  D.D., 

Of  the  Pacific  Annual  Conference. 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

THE  REV.  0.  P.  FITZGERALD,  D.D. 


Nashville,  Tenn.: 
Southern  Methodist  Publishing  House. 

1SS6. 


^-  vim 


Entered,  aceording  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1886, 

By  .J.  C.  SIMMONS, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


S.41 


%)EDlQfl5IOK- 


To  the  clear  band  of  preachers  who  answered  to  the 
First  Roll-call  of  the  Pacific  Conference  —  half  of 
whom  have  answered  to  the  roll-call  above — 

J.  Boring,  D.D., 
A.  M.  Wynn, 

C.  Gridley, 

W.  R.  Gober, 

J.    S.    M ALONE, 

J.  M.  Fulton, 

J.  F.  Blythe, 
A.  M.  Bailey, 
M.  Evans, 

W.  A.  Simmon's, 
D.   B.  Leyxe, 

E.    B.    LoCKLEY, 

S.   W.  Da  vies. 


J.   W    Kelly, 
— these  pages  are  lovingly  and  tearfully  dedicated  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


IfffiT  the  Conference  held  in  Santa  Rosa,  October,  1877,  my 
il'}^  brethren  of  the  Pacific  Conference,  by  formal  resolution, 
requested  me  to  prepare  the  material  for  a  History  of  Southern 
Methodism  on  the  Pacific.  I  was,  even  then,  the  only  effective 
member  of  the  Conference  who  was  present  at  the  organization 
of  the  body,  and  who  had  been  intimately  and  actively  connected 
with  it  in  all  of  its  history. 

I  accepted  the  duty  with  no  high  estimate  of  my  ability  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  Conference.  I  had  read  much  of  Church 
history,  some  of  it  contemporary  history,  and  from  personal  obr 
servation  I  knew  it  to  be  an  exceedingly  difficult  task  to  be  a 
correct,  faithful  historian.  I  knew  there  were  currents  of  fact 
and  thought  into  which  a  historian  is  liable  to  drift,  sometimes 
unduly  magnifying  the  actions  of  men,  sometimes  giving  too 
great  prominence  to  certain  events,  sometimes  overlooking  the 
true  heroes  and  neglecting  the  record  of  events  best  calculated 
to  reveal  the  truth. 

Notwithstanding  this,  at  the  call  of  my  brethren  I  undertook 
the  work,  and  to  me  it  has  been  "  a  labor  of  love."  I  have  lived 
over  again  the  scenes  of  other  years,  and  have  held  communion 
with  the  beloved  companions  whose  voices  have  long  since  been 
hushed  in  death. 

I  have  sought  in  all  directions  for  facts  and  incidents  illustrat- 
ing the  history  of  the  important  period  of  which  I  was  to  write; 
I  have  called  publicly  through  the  press,  both  in  California  and 
in  the  Eastern  States,  for  facts  connected  with  our  history;  I  have 

(v) 


vi  Preface. 

written  innumerable  letters  to  all  parts  of  the  country — in  a  word, 
I  have  left  no  stone  unturned  to  get  at  the  truth. 

Many  of  my  brethren  have  responded  to  these  calls,  and  have 
helped  me  much.  Others  from  whom  I  expected  much  have 
sent  me  only  a  few  lines,  or  neglected  to  respond  to  my  requests. 
I  have  tried  to  be  accurate  in  all  I  have  written,  and  feel  assured 
that  more  fault  will  be  found  with  me  for  what  I  have  not  written 
than  for  what  I  have  written. 

In  looking  over  my  manuscript,  I  am  not  satisfied  with  my 
work.  The  names  and  deeds  of  a  whole  host  of  laymen — the 
rank  and  file  of  our  sacramental  army — men  whose  names  are  in 
the  book  of  life  as  those  who  have  done  much  for  the  planting 
and  maintaining  Southern  Methodism  on  this  coast — are  not  re- 
corded in  these  pages.  Had  it  been  possible,  I  would  have  em- 
balmed each  name  in  grateful  acknowledgment,  and  recorded 
each  deed  with  gladness;  but  I  could  not. 

I  have  done  what  I  could.  Some  future  historian  may  again  go 
over  the  field  and  gather  what  I  have  left. 

I  thank  God  that  I  have  been  spared  to  finish  this  work,  and 
with  an  earnest  prayer  for  his  blessing  upon  this  humble  child 
of  my  love  and  toil,  I  submit  it  to  the  public. 

J.  C.  SIMMONS. 


INTRODUCTION. 


'HERE  were  good  reasons  why  this  book  should  be  writ- 
tj  ten,  and  that  Dr.  Simmons  should  be  the  writer.  The 
History  of  Southern  Methodism  on  the  Pacific  Coast  pos- 
sesses extraordinary  interest  as  a  record  of  Christian  propa- 
gandist™ under  new  and  peculiar  conditions,  and  of  Chris- 
tian heroism  demonstrative  of  the  fact  that  the  love  of  Christ 
is  still  a  constraining  power,  and  that  it  endues  his  servants 
with  supernatural  energy,  fortitude,  and  self-abnegation,  as  in 
the  first  ages. 

This  history  exhibits  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  vitali- 
ty of  the  true  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Southern 
Methodism  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  tried  in  the  fires,  has  come 
forth  as  gold.  Its  history  is  a  record  of  trial  and  disaster 
on  the  one  hand,  and  of  unconquerable  zeal  and  hard -won 
success  on  the  other.  The  opposition  of  enemies,  many  of 
whom  verily  believed  they  were  doing  God  service  in  the  ef- 
fort to  destroy  it;  the  misconceptions  of  friends;  the  misfort- 
unes of  good  men;  the  blunders  of  novices;  the  pressure  of 
special  antagonism  during  the  dark  days  of  the  Civil  War — 
these  obstacles  to  success,  together  with  the  intrinsic  difficul- 
ties that  all  evangelical  religious  organizations  have  had  to  en- 

(vii) 


viii  Introduction. 

counter  in  that  field,  could  have  been  met  and  overcome  only 
in  the  strength  of  Him  who  is  head  over  all  things  to  the 
Church,  and  who  hath  promised  to  be  with  his  people  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  These  pages  detail  those 
struggles  and  triumphs  with  truth  -  loving  fidelity,  and  with 
the  glow  that  kindled  anew  in  the  author's  soul  as  he  re- 
called the  times,  scenes,  and  the  actors  of  those  early  days. 
This  history  furnishes  a  fresh  demonstration  of  the  inde- 
structibility of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  I  doubt  not  will 
strengthen  many  in  their  adherence  to  the  principles  for  which 
Southern  Methodism  has  stood  on  the  Pacific  Coast  and  every- 
where during  the  stormy  times  that  are  now,  as  we  may 
hope,  happily  passing  away  as  the  Church  and  the  Nation  enter 
upon  a  new  era  of  peace  and  prosperity. 

It  was  time  that  this  book  should  be  written  and  printed. 
The  peculiar  phases  of  the  early  life  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  so- 
cial and  religious,  are  vanishing  rapidly.  The  actors,  too,  are 
passing  off  the  stage.  The  pathos  of  this  book  is  found  largely 
in  its  record  of  the  heroism,  the  sufferings,  the  trials,  and  tri- 
umphs of  the  holy  dead.  A  little  while  longer,  and  all  the 
voices  that  could  have  told  the  story  will  be  mute  forever, 
and  the  testimony  of  eye-witnesses  and  participants  no  longer 
accessible.  Posthumous  historians  have  the  advantage  of  the 
mellowing  and  harmonizing  perspective,  but  they  lack  the 
vivid  touch  and  the  inside  view  of  the  contemporaneous  au- 
thor. No  man  of  the  next  generation  could  be  the  writer  of 
this  work.      With  it,  some    future  historian  will    have  the  ma- 


Introduction.  ix 

terial  that  will  enable  him  to  assign  to  Southern  Methodism 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  its  proper  place  in  the  annals  of  this 
century. 

Dr.  Simmons  was  the  proper  person  to  perform  this  task 
— to  him  a  labor  of  love.  The  unanimous  request  of  the 
Pacific  Conference  was  to  him  tantamount  to  a  command  to 
undertake  it.  The  honor  was  his  by  right  of  seniority  in  the 
service  of  the  Church  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  He  had  under- 
standing of  all  these  things  from  the  beginning.  The  earlier 
chapters  give  the  reader  an  inside  view  of  the  thrilling  scenes 
of  that  early  period.  lie  was  present  at  the  birth  of  the 
Pacific  Conference,  the  mother  of  Conferences  in  all  that  re- 
gion; he  helped  to  nurse  it  in  its  infancy;  he  has  watched  its 
growth  through  all  its  history.  He  possesses  the  prime  quali- 
fications of  a  historian — knowledge  of  the  facts,  and  genuine 
love  for  his  subject. 

The  method  of  the  author  is  his  own.  The  current  of 
the  narrative  flows  on  in  a  continuous  stream,  but  the  biograph- 
ical sketches,  usually  short  and  graphic,  come  in  in  proper 
chronological  order,  relieving  the  tension  of  the  reader,  and 
giving  the  page  before  him  a  pictorial  interest.  The  humor 
and  pathos  of  the  book  are  characteristic.  Not  every  one  will 
be  touched  with  its  pathetic  side  as  was  the  writer  of  this  In- 
troduction in  passing  it  through  the  press — but  few  will  be 
able  to  read  it  through  with  dry  eyes.  The  humor  has  the 
flavor  both  of  the  old  Georgia  hills  and  of  the  new  life  of  our 
farthest    West.      In    the    judgment   of  the    author,   fidelity   to 


x  Introduction. 

the  truth  of  history  demanded  that  he  should  not  omit  the 
statement  of  the  facts  concerning  the  differences  that  agitated 
Church  and  State  during  the  troublous  times  from  which  we 
are  now  emerging.  He  tells  us  how  inter- Methodistic  rela- 
tionship was  interrupted,  and  illustrates  those  unhappy  times 
by  detailing  incidents  that  furnish  a  true  view  of  the  situation. 

His  tone  is  that  of  a  man  of  honest  and  earnest  conviction, 
not  that  of  a  partisan.  He  would  be  unlike  himself  if  he 
wrote  in  any  other  than  a  fraternal,  broadly  Christian  spirit. 

It  is  perhaps  proper  to  say  here,  that  if  any  friendly  reader 
should  think  that  too  little  space  is  given  to  some  men  and 
matters,  and  too  much  to  others,  the  explanation  may  be  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  author  was  furnished  with  the  facts  in 
some  cases,  and  was  unable  to  obtain  them  in  others.  His 
impartial,  irenic,  brotherly  spirit  is  everywhere  apparent. 

The  book  meets  a  want.  The  author  is  entitled  to  the 
thanks  of  his  brethren  for  the  faithfulness  with  which  he  has 
discharged  the  duty  imposed  upon  him  by  them.  I  commend 
his  work  to  their  favor,  and  invoke  upon  it  the  blessing  of 
God.  O.  P.  FITZGERALD. 

Nashville,   Tenn.,  May,  18S6. 


CHAPTER   I. 

^HE  History  of  Southern  Methodism  on  the  Pa- 
cific Coast,  if  faithfully  written,  will  reveal  the 
fact  that  the  work  has  been  difficult  and  peculiar. 
No  one  who  has  not  been  engaged  in  it  can  appreciate 
it.  Even  a  visitor  to  our  coast  could  form  but  a  partial 
idea  of  the  many  difficulties  to  be  met  and  overcome. 

Though  California,  with  all  its  wealth  of  minerals, 
and  its  mightier  agricultural  resources,  had  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  Spaniards  for  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  yet  no  discovery  of  either  gold  or  sil- 
ver had  been  made,  nor  had  the  soil  of  her  rich  valleys 
ever  been  turned  by  the  plowshare  of  the  diligent 
husbandman. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  wild  cattle  and  immense  bands 
of  horses  roamed  through  the  valleys,  while  now  and 
then  some  vessel  would  glide  in  through  the  Golden 
Gate  and  slowlv  take  in  a  cargo  of  hides  and  tallow. 
Sometimes  a  hardy  trapper  would  pitch  his  camp  on 
the  bank  of  one  of  its  limpid  rivers,  and  stir,  by  barter 
for  pelts,  some  of  the  inhabitants  to  a  little  activity. 

The  coast  of  California  had  been  explored  as  early 
1602.  Roman  Catholic  missions  had  been  established 
at  many  points,  and  the  old  Catholic  fathers  became 
possessors  of  untold  wealth.  The  Rev.  Calvin  Colton 
tells  us  that  in  1825  the  possessions  of  these  fathers 
were  estimated  at  1,200,000  cattle,  100,000  horses,  12,- 
000  or  15,000  mules,    1,000,000  sheep,   many  thousand 

f.») 


12  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

hogs,  and  not  less  than  $1,000,000  in  specie  and  bullion; 
while  there  were  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  In- 
dians, who  were  the  most  abject  slaves  to  these  eccle- 
siastical tyrants.  They  made  them  work  without  com- 
pensation, save  their  living,  and  punished  them  at  will. 
They  gave  them  but  little,  if  any,  religious  instruction, 
and  no  education  whatever. 

As  early  as  1840  the  salubrity  of  the  climate  of  Cal- 
ifornia began  to  be  made  known,  and  a  few  hardy, 
restless  spirits  crossed  the  plains  and  came  to  this 
coast;  and  by  1845  tnere  were  about  five  thousand 
Americans  and  foreigners  who  had  braved  the  dangers 
of  the  long  and  arduous  journey,  and  had  located  here. 

By  the  year  1846  there  were  two  thousand  Ameri- 
cans and  three  thousand  foreigners,  who  were  friendly 
to  the  United  States  Government,  and  about  three 
thousand  more  who  were  either  hostile  to  it  or  neutral. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Mexican  war,  on  February 
2,  1S48,  a  treaty  was  made,  ceding  to  the  United  States 
the  present  States  of  California  and  Nevada,  the  Ter- 
ritories of  Utah,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexico,  part  of 
Colorado,  and  part  of  Texas. 

During  the  same  month  the  first  £old  was  discovered 
by  a  man  named  Marshall,  near  Coloma,  while  engaged, 
with  others,  in  di^ofinof  a  mill-race  for  General  Sutter. 
Prospectors  immediately  commenced  searching  the  ad- 
jacent gulches,  and  finding  gold  in  great  abundance,  the 
news  flew  like  wild -fire,  and  soon  almost  every  man 
in  California  went  to  the  mining  region.  Not  only  so, 
but  the  news  reaching  all  parts  of  the  world,  vast 
crowds  began  to  collect  from  all  parts  of  the  civilized 
world,  and  by  the  year  1852  there  were  in  California 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men.     Many  of  these 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  13 

men  were  of  the  most  daring  and  reckless  character. 
Mad  in  their  pursuit  for  gold,  they  were  capable  of 
almost  any  crime.  The  abundant  yield  of  the  mines 
kindled  in  all  hearts  a  desire  for  sudden  wealth;  and 
as  the  rapidity  with  which  the  country  had  been  filled 
up  prevented  the  possibility  of  proper  organization  as 
citizens,  or  the  enforcement  of  law,  men  became  reck- 
less to  the  last  decree.  The  restraining:  influence  of 
woman  being  absent,  many  who  would  have  acted  dif- 
ferently gave  way  to  a  lawless  spirit  to  an  appalling 
decree.  Gambling:  was  the  order  of  the  dav.  Men 
who  had  been  looked  upon  as  the  most  exemplary 
Christians  in  the  older  States,  and  even  some  ministers  of 
the  gospel,  were  caught  in  the  swelling  tide  and  borne 
away  into  this  vice.  Whole  blocks  in  the  city  of  San 
Francisco  were  given  up  entirely  to  gamblers,  and 
every  form  of  this  vice  was  practiced.  Vast  piles  of 
glittering  gold  lay  in  the  greatest  abundance  on  the 
tables  of  these  gamblers.  Men  who  had  been  a  few 
months  in  the  mines,  and  had  dug  out  thousands  of  dol- 
lars, went  thither  and  lost  the  whole  in  a  few  hours. 
Crowds  went  surging  from  place  to  place  in  the  mines, 
as  rich  diggings  were  announced  from  time  to  time  by 
lucky  prospectors. 

Perhaps  in  the  history  of  the  world  there  never  was 
seen  just  such  a  sight — the  whole  population  of  a  State, 
with  scarcely  an  exception,  rushing  from  place  to  place 
in  search  of  gold,  all  hoping  and  expecting  to  get  rich 
in  a  few  months  at  least,  many  of  them  having  thrown 
off"  the  restraints  of  law  and  society. 

Now,  it  was  to  this  surging,  seething  mass  of  gold- 
hunters  that  the  Church  proposed  to  send  the  preach- 
ers of  the  gospel.     These    men    must    not    be  wholly 


'14  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

abandoned  to  evil  influences.  Many  of  them  had  been 
taught  the  truths  of  Christianity  in  the  homes  of  their 
childhood,  and  it  would  not  do  to  let  them  drift  forever 
from  their  moorings.  Therefore,  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in 
May,  1S49,  tnev  determined  to  establish  a  Mission  in 
California.  It  was  to  be  classed  as  a  foreign  mission, 
and  put  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  Bishop 
Robert  Paine.  The  work  could  not  have  been  put  into 
better  hands.  From  that  memorable  day  to  the  day 
of  his  death  Bishop  Paine  manifested  the  liveliest  in- 
terest in  the  work  on  this  coast;  and  although  it  was 
never  his  privilege  to  visit  the  field  to  which  he  sent 
the  first  preachers,  yet  not  a  movement  of  the  Church 
here  ever  escaped  his  notice.  A  short  while  before 
his  death  he  gave  expression  to  his  deep  love  to  all 
who  were  engaged  in  the  work,  and  to  the  lively  in- 
terest he  felt  in  its  success. 

In  July,  1S49,  after  correspondence  with  the  Rev. 
Jesse  Boring,  D.D.,  of  the  Georgia  Conference,  Bishop 
Paine  appointed  him  Superintendent  of  the  Mission. 
In  August,  the  Rev.  D.  W.  Pollock,  of  the  St.  Louis 
Conference,  and  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Wynn,  of  the  Geor- 
gia Conference,  were  appointed  to  accompany  Dr. 
Boring.  They  at  once  commenced  making  prepara- 
tions for  the  voyage.  They  were  ready  to  leave  early  in 
1S50,  on  the  first  steamer  that  was  to  sail  for  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama.  In  the  meantime  they  were  ordered 
to  take  collections  in  their  respective  Conferences  to 
assist  in  bearing  their  expenses  to  their  distant  field  of 
labor.  Dr.  Boring  canvassed  Georgia,  the  Rev.  A.  M. 
Wynn,  South  Carolina,  his  native  State,  and  the  Rev. 
D.  W.  Pollock,  Missouri. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  15 

California  came  into  the  Union  at  a  time  when  Free 
Soil  doctrine  was  at  fever  heat:  all  saw  that  when  it 
was  admitted,  it  would  come  in  as  a  Free  State;  and 
hence  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Church,  South, 
thought  we  could  never  successfully  occupy  it,  and 
were  therefore  bitterly  opposed  to  the  mission.  Others 
were  very  lukewarm  in  the  cause,  and  it  required  a 
great  deal  of  persistence  and  energy  to  stem  the  tide. 
Especially  was  this  so  in  Georgia  and  South  Carolina. 
In  Missouri  the  case  was  somewhat  different.  This 
State  being  the  point  from  which  the  vast  majority  of 
emigrants  to  California  overland  started,  more  of  her 
sons  came  to  California  than  those  of  any  other  South- 
ern State;  therefore  the  people  had  a  personal  interest 
in  sending  ministers  to  California.  They  were  send- 
ing them  to  their  sons  and  brethren.  Missouri  has 
ever  played  an  important  part  in  California  Methodism. 
There  are,  and  ever  have  been,  more  Missourians  in 
the  Church  on  this  coast  than  any  others. 

One  reason  why  the  brethren  met  with  such  oppo- 
sition, or  indifference,  in  their  efforts  in  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina,  was  that  the  memory  of  the  fierce 
conflict  through  which  the  Church  had  passed  in  reach- 
ing a  division,  and  the  organization  of  two  separate 
bodies  of  Methodists  in  the  United  States,  were  fresh 
in  the  minds  of  many.  We  had  found  peace  in  a  sep- 
arate ecclesiastical  life,  and  they  thought  to  enter  terri- 
tory other  than  that  South  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line 
was  but  to  invite  strife  and  re-open  trouble.  Their 
tutelage  in  the  grand  school  in  which  God  by  his 
providence  had  placed  them  was  too  meager  for  them 
to  see  that  by  this  division  the  shackles  of  sectional- 
ism  that   had   long   bound    us   were   stricken  off,   that 


16  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

now  the  world  was  indeed  "our  parish,"  and  that  we 
must  fulfill  our  destiny  in  giving  a  Methodism  to  the 
world  that  knew  no  North,  no  South,  no  East,  no 
West.  It  was  our  misfortune  that  the  name  that  had 
been  given  us  seemed  to  make  us  sectional,  but  it  was 
only  in  appearance.  It  was  ours  to  preach  a  Christ 
whose  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world — the  Christ  of 
all  nations.  We  bear  in  our  hands  no  thonsrs  with 
which  to  bind  men  to  this  or  that  political  party. 
Those  who  seek  admission  into  our  Societies  will  be 
required  to  frame  no  shibboleth  to  escape  the  sword  of 
politics. 

But  Dr.  Boring  and  his  brother  missionaries  met 
difficulties  right  at  the  door  of  their  enterprise.  Men 
who  should  have  thrown  all  the  weight  of  their  influ- 
ence in  their  favor  did  every  thing  to  hinder  them  in 
their  work.  Not  only  so,  but  after  they  had  been 
commissioned  and  sailed,  a  majority  of  the  Church 
settled  down  not  only  into  a  feeling  of  apathy  and  in- 
difference toward  fhem  and  the  work,  but  a  good  deal 
was  said  and  written  at  home  about  the  abandonment 
of  the  field  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  These  things,  of 
course,  reached  the  ears  of  these  devoted  men,  and  it 
may  be  that  it  was  overruled  for  the  good  of  the  work. 
It  caused  them  to  rely  more  upon  God,  and  it  also  fired 
them  with  a  determination  to  succeed,  if  success  were 
in  the  bounds  of  possibility.  Their  very  isolation  ex- 
erted its  influence  in  causing  them  to  rely  more  upon 
themselves  than  they  otherwise  would  have  done.  It 
required  six  months  for  letters  to  leave  San  Francisco 
for  Georgia  and  an  answer  to  return;  and  six  months 
in  California  at  that  time  were  equal  to  two  or  three 
years  in  the  older  States  in  the  movements  and  changes 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  17 

of  men.  And  withal,  their  enemies  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
(and  their  name  was  legion)  taunted  them  with  the 
fact  that  the  "Church  at  home  had  forsaken  them." 
These  men  were  seriously  pressed  to  give  up  the  forlorn 
hope,  and  to  take  what  they  were  assured  was  a  far  bet- 
ter chance,  which,  had  money  been  the  consideration, 
was  true.  It  was  a  dark  day  when  these  two  men,  both 
feeble  ones  (for  Wynn  was  an  invalid,  and  but  for  his 
will  power,  sustained  by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church, 
would  have  given  up — Pollock  had  returned),  stood 
alone  against  such  fearful  odds;  and  we  feel  assured 
that  no  one  can  ever  fully  appreciate  their  situation. 
More  than  three  thousand  miles  stretched  out  between 
them  and  home.  After  a  year  of  unparalleled  toil  and 
suffering,  and  the  announcement  of  their  inevitable 
failure,  with  not  a  word  of  re-inforcements  coming,  all 
seemed  to  be  lost.  But  thanks  to  God  and  those  in- 
domitable men,  the  mission  lived,  and  three  Annual 
Conferences  are,  in  part,  the  result. 

The  eyes  of  these  men  were  on  the  jiclds  waving 
white  to  the  harvest,  and  not  on  their  resources  and 
the  meager  support  they  ivere  receiving  from  the 
Church  at  home.  San  Francisco,  Sacramento,  Stock- 
ton, San  Jose,  Marysville,  Nevada  City,  Sonora,  and 
numerous  other  cities,  towns,  and  thickly-settled  agri- 
cultural regions  of  the  country,  were  open  to  them. 
Every  local  preacher  who  could  be  found  and  utilized 
was  put  into  the  field — perhaps  at  one  time  six  or  eight. 
These  men  were  meeting  with  success.  But  we  will 
not  anticipate. 

Despite  all  opposition,  these  three  faithful  ministers 
reported  themselves  ready  to  sail   early  in  1850.     Ac- 
cordingly they  met  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  in  Jan- 
2 


i8  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

uary,  expecting  to  sail  the  first  of  February.  On  the 
way  to  New  Orleans,  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Wynn  married 
a  sister  of  Dr.  Boring's  wife. 

When  they  reached  New  Orleans,  they  found  that 
every  ticket  on  the  steamer  had  been  sold,  and  great 
crowds  were  waiting  for  the  next  one.  They  at  once 
purchased  their  tickets  for  the  steamer  that  was  to  sail 
the  first  of  March.  For  one  month  they  waited  as 
patiently  as  they  could,  and  on  the  first  day  of  March 
they  set  sail,  and  after  a  long  and  perilous  voyage  of 
forty-five  days  they  landed  in  San  Francisco,  April 
15,  1850. 

They  found  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  like  a  mighty 
forest,  bristling  with  the  masts  of  vessels  from  almost 
every  nation  under  heaven.  The  surging  multitudes 
they  met  in  the  city  rivaled  the  babbling  hosts  of  Babel. 
Among  the  first  things  that  arrested  their  attention 
upon  landing  was  a  multitude  of  houses  that  seemed 
all  doors,  filled  with  great  crowds  of  men,  drinking, 
smoking,  cursing  and  gambling.  On  tables  set  here 
and  there  were  vast  piles  of  gold-dust,  as  well  as  of  gold 
and  silver  coin.  Old  and  young  were  betting  reck- 
lessly on  the  turn  of  a  card  or  the  revolution  of  a  wheel 
of  fortune.  Occasionally,  seated  at  a  table,  would  be  a 
woman,  set,  as  it  were,  to  lure  men  to  more  freely  and 
foolishly  stake  their  money  on  the  issues  of  a  game  of 
chance. 

This  was  the  place  to  which  the  Church  had  sent 
them,  and  these  were  the  men  to  whom  they  were  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  purity  and  peace. 

In  the  new,  the  strange,  the  anomalous  circumstances 
in  which  the  gold-hunters  of  California  were  placed, 
far  away  from  home  and  its  influences,  without  even 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  19 

the  restraints  of  law,  much  less  the  hallowed  associa- 
tions of  social  and  family  bonds,  it  was  but  natural  that 
they  should  give  way  to  the  intoxicating  excitement  of 
the  hour  and  plunge  recklessly  into  any  vice  that  might 
suggest  itself  to  their  minds.  Then  they  were  thrown 
into  intimate  association  with  men  who  had  made 
crime  and  law-breaking  the  habit  of  their  lives.  For 
of  all  men,  these  were  the  most  readily  drawn  to  such  a 
place  as  California  then  was.  They  were  ever  ready 
to  present  what  might  not  suggest  itself  to  the  minds 
of  the  more  innocent. 

When  once  the  barriers  that  hedge  about  our  moral 
natures  are  broken  down,  it  seems  next  to  impossible  to 
restore  them  to  their  former  strength.  The  soul,  once 
exposed  to  the  scorching  simoom  of  sin,  is  ever  after- 
ward less  strong  to  resist  evil.  So  those  who  came 
first  to  California,  and  giving  way  to  the  demoralizing 
influences  that  surrounded  them,  found  themselves  ever 
afterward  weaker  than  before  and  harder  to  influence 
for  good,  while  those  who  had  once  been  religious,  and 
had  in  their  greed  and  grasping  for  gold  let  go  their 
hold  on  Christ,  drifted  so  far  away  that  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  restore  them. 

At  this  time  not  one  man  in  ten  thousand  intended 
to  make  California  his  home.  Men  had  come  to  "  make 
their  pile,"  and  return  to  the  home  of  their  childhood 
and  enjoy  it.  They  cared  nothing  for  the  well-being 
and  prosperity  of  this  land.  They  would  sacrifice  any 
of  its  interests  to  make  money.  As  money-making  was 
the  one  grand  object  had  in  view  in  coming  to  Cal- 
ifornia, covetousness  might  be  said  to  be  the  ruling  pas- 
sion and  desire  of  all  hearts;  and  if,  as  Paul  says,  "cov- 
etousness is  idolatry,"  this  was  at  this  early  period  a 


/ 


20  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

land  of  idolaters.  It  is  true  that  they  were  not  io-no- 
rant  idolaters;  they  had  most  of  them  been  reared  in 
Christian  lands,  and  many  of  them  had  been  professors 
of  Christianity;  but  they  were  allowing  the  desire  for 
gold  to  drown  all  the  religious  elements  of  their  nature. 
Gold  in  sight,  and  gold  in  reach  in  such  unusual  quan- 
tities, had  a  tendency  to  kindle  the  passion  for  gain  into 
a  more  intense  flame.  Then  the  manner  in  which  for- 
tunes were  lost  and  won — mining  being  in  some  sense 
a  chance  game — created  a  very  unhealthy  state  of  mind 
in  those  engaged  in  it. 

The  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  population — being 
composed  of  men  from  every  nation  under  heaven, 
each  bringing  with  him  his  peculiar  customs,  manners, 
and  religion — kept  all  more  or  less  excited  in  a  manner 
different  from  any  experience  of  their  former  lives. 

We  mention  these  as  a  few  of  the  difficulties  that  were 
in  the  way  of  the  first  missionaries  who  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia; and  some  of  these  difficulties,  or  their  effects, 
linger  after  a  third  of  a  century  has  wrought  its  changes 
on  the  moral  face  of  this  new  State. 

These  brethren,  taken  from  appreciative  Churches 
and  people  in  the  older  States,  found  themselves  stand- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  surging  throngs  of  San  Fran- 
cisco with  scarcely  a  man  who  cared  whether  they  re- 
turned or  remained — with  scarcely  a  man  who  would 
stop  long  enough  to  answer  a  question,  much  less  to 
help  them  or  their  families.  They  stood  alone.  They 
must  find  their  own  homes  and  form  their  own  plans. 
The  land  was  before  them,  and  they  were  left  to  the 
dictates  of  their  own  judgment  as  to  what  and  how 
they  should  proceed. 

Steamers  that  had   been   brought  round   the   Horn 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  21 

stood  puffing  at  the  rude  wharf  ready  to  carry  the 
eager  crowds  up  either  of  the  two  grand  rivers  that 
drained  the  vast  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  valleys. 
Sacramento,  Marysville,  and  Stockton  were  the  three 
most  important  points  from  which  men  went  to  the 
mines.  The  two  former  were  on  the  way  to  the  north- 
ern and  the  latter  to  the  southern  mines. 

These  missionaries,  immediately  upon  their  arrival, 
held  a  consultation  as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done. 
They  decided  that  Dr.  Boring  should  remain  in  San 
Francisco,  as  he  was  the  Superintendent  of  the  Mis- 
sion; D.  W.  Pollock  should  go  to  Sacramento,  and  A. 
M.  Wynn  to  Stockton. 

Brother  Pollock  went  at  once  to  his  field  of  labor, 
but  Dr.  Borinsfs  wife  being:  in  delicate  health,  he  de- 
termined  to  take  her  to  San  Jose  for  four  months,  dur- 
ing which  time  A.  M.  Wynn  remained  in  San  Francisco. 

Brother  Wynn  secured  the  old  original  court-house 
of  the  city  in  which  to  preach,  and  in  May,  1850,  or- 
ganized the  first  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  in  California,  consisting  of  eleven  mem- 
bers. We  can  find  no  record  of  this  organization,  and 
can  give  no  names. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  1850,  the  Rev.  A.  M. 
Wynn  went  to  Stockton  (Dr.  Boring  having  returned 
to  San  Francisco  and  taken  charge  of  that  work),  and 
in  a  few  weeks  thereafter  organized  a  Church  there  in 
a  hired  room. 

About  the  same  time  the  Rev.  D.  W.  Pollock  organ- 
ized in  Sacramento.  Soon  after  this  organization  he 
procured  a  lot  on  Seventh,  between  J  and  K  Streets, 
upon  which  a  small  wooden  chapel  was  erected.  D. 
W.  Pollock  was  said  to  be  a  very  brilliant  preacher^ 


22  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Frail  of  body,  his  physical  man  could  scarcely  bear  the 
strain  of  the  mind  when  in  full  play.  His  flights  of 
fancy  and  the  gorgeous  beauty  with  which  he  arrayed 
his  thoughts  would  at  times  remind  one  of  his  celebrated 
namesake,  author  of  "The  Course  of  Time."  He  was 
well  calculated  mentally  and  spiritually  to  arrest  the 
attention  of  California's  excitable  population.  But  his 
health  began  rapidly  to  decline,  and  before  many 
months,  while  the  fields  were  waving  white  to  the  har- 
vest, with  a  heavy  heart  he  turned  his  face  homeward, 
a  confirmed  consumptive.  Reaching  Alabama,  he  tar- 
ried a  few  months  among  her  sunny  scenes  and  hospi- 
table people,  when  he  ended  his  career  in  triumph.  He 
was  with  us  but  a  brief  season,  but  no  doubt  his  del- 
icately-strung spirit  echoed  many  a  time  to  the  gor- 
geous scenery  of  our  enchanting  State.  His  hands, 
however  eager,  were  not  to  bind  the  sheaves;  but 
doubtless  in  his  happy  Eden  home  his  ear  has  often 
caught  the  shout  of  the  reapers  as  they  bent  to  the 
stroke  in  the  field  he  loved  so  well. 

The  charge  in  Sacramento,  made  vacant  by  the  return 
of  Brother  Pollock,  was  supplied  with  a  Brother  Penn- 
man,  a  local  preacher  sent  by  Dr.  Boring,  the  Superin- 
tendent. He  took  charge  in  the  spring  of  185 1.  His 
labors  were  of  short  duration.  During  his  pastorate  the 
congregations  were  very  small,  and  the  outlook  not  at  all 
encouraging. 

We  have  been  enabled  to  preserve  a  few  of  the 
names  of  those  who  composed  the  first  class  in  Sacra- 
mento; they  were:  Dr.  J.  S.  Curtis,  as  class-leader; 
Sister  A.  M.  Winn,  wife  of  Gen.  Winn;  Sister  Alex- 
ander, Louis  E.  Brook,  William  Shoemaker,  Judge 
McGrew,  and  W.  W.  Stovall. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  23 

Dr.  Curtis  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Sacramento  for 
many  years.  He  was  ardently  attached  to  the  Church, 
South,  and  ever  strove  to  sustain  and  honor  it.  We 
are  not  informed  as  to  whether  his  wife  was  a  member 
at  its  first  organization,  but  we  know  that  in  subsequent 
years  she  was  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments.  She  was 
one  of  the  most  sweet-spirited  women  of  the  age,  ever 
ready  to  minister  to  the  wants  and  comforts  of  the  min- 
isters of  Jesus.  While  Dr.  Curtis  was  upright,  con- 
sistent, and  pious,  yet  a  cloud  hung  over  his  sky.  As 
he  often  confessed,  when  a  young  man  he  felt  a  call  of 
God  to  preach  his  gospel,  but  he  refused  obedience  to 
his  will,  and  the  memory  of  this  disobedience  gave  a 
dash  of  bitterness  to  all  his  after-life.  Time  and  again 
have  we  seen  him  point  with  sorrow  at  this,  the  great 
mistake  of  his  life,  and  warn  young  men  not  to  follow 
his  example.  In  the  evening  of  his  life  his  reason 
became  clouded;  but  from  frequent  expressions  of  his 
confidence  in  God,  we  cannot  but  believe  that  the  great 
Shepherd  was  with  him  as  his  spirit  entered  the  dark 
valley  and  shadow. 

Sister  A.  M.  Winn  was  from  Mississippi,  and  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Church.  Like  the  women 
who  ministered  to  Jesus  and  his  disciples  of  their  sub- 
stance, Sister  Winn  was  ever  ready  to  give  of  her 
means  to  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  same  Master's 
service.  Quiet  and  unassuming  in  her  manner,  her  life 
was  her  greatest  praise.  She  died  in  Sacramento  in 
1862,  full  of  faith  and  hope. 

Sister  Alexander,  at  this  writing,  is  still  a  member  of 
the  Sacramento  charge,  perhaps  the  only  one  of  the 
original  number  who  is  still  connected  with  the  Church 
in  that  city. 


24  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

W.  W.  Stovall,  though  an  upright,  good  man,  yet  he 
left  the  communion  of  our  Church  to  engage  in  unde- 
nominational evangelistic  work.  In  this  we  believe  he 
made  a  great  mistake.  Every  man  who  does  work  for 
Christ  should  hold  allegiance  to,  and  be  under  the  imme- 
diate direction  of,  some  recognized  evangelical  denom- 
ination. There  should  be  some  recognized  body  to 
give  him  authority,  some  home  to  which  he  can  invite 
those  who  are  brought  to  Christ  through  his  labors, 
and  some  power  to  whom  he  will  be  responsible  for 
his  actions.  There  never  was  a  time  when  the  author- 
ity of  the  Church  was  more  needed  than  now,  never 
when  there  were  stronger  influences  brought  to  bear 
to  injure  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 
Thousands  of  young  people  are  loath  to  give  up  the 
pleasures  of  the  world  and  take  upon  them  the  restraints 
and  vows  of  the  Church  —  vows  by  which  they  re- 
nounce the  vain  pomp  and  glory  of  the  world,  with 
all  covetous  desires  of  the  same.  And  if  the  man  who 
is  used  as  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  in  bring- 
ing such  to  Christ  is  himself  not  a  member  of  the 
Church,  they  will  make  his  example  an  excuse  for  not 
uniting  with  a  Church  that  requires  such  self-renun- 
ciation. 

We  give  a  brief  history  of  the  Church  in  Sacramento, 
taken  from  an  early  history  of  Sacramento  City,  writ- 
ten by  Barber  and  Baker  in  1846.  Also  another  taken 
from  Thompson  and  West's  History  of  Sacramento 
County,  1880. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  25 

ASBURY  CHAPEL;  or,  M.  E.  CHURCH,  SOUTH. 

This  Church  has  been  subject  to  the  same  mutations  that  have 
characterized  every  thing  else  in  Sacramento.  The  building  was 
erected  in  August,  1S50 — a  neat  frame  structure  about  thirty-four 
by  sixty  feet  in  its  dimensions.  The  parsonage  was  situated  in  its 
rear,  as  at  present.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Pollock  was  the  missionary, 
under  whose  direction  and  by  whose  exertions  it  was  planned  and 
built.  The  Society  which  worshiped  in  it  was  small,  and  the  ability 
of  the  membership  by  no  means  commensurate  with  the  outlays 
necessary  to  free  it  from  debt.  In  fact,  a  large  portion  of  the  mon- 
ey paid  for  it  Avas  raised  among  those  not  connected  with  any 
Church.  The  minister  was  a  man  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him — 
one  who  combined  all  those  rare  traits  of  character  which  make  the 
truly  good  and  great  minister  of  the  gospel.  Early  in  the  fall  of 
1S50  his  failing  health  compelled  him  to  forsake  his  field  of  labor 
and  return  to  his  home  in  the  South,  where,  in  1851,  the  disease 
contracted  during  the  ever-memorable  fall  of  1S50  terminated  his 
earthly  career.  The  recollection  of  his  many  virtues  will  ever 
remain  fresh  in  the  minds  of  those  who  knew  him  under  the  try- 
ing circumstances  which  surrounded  him  during  his  brief  stay  in 
Sacramento.  With  his  departure  departed  the  prosperity,  present 
and  prospective,  of  Asbury  Chapel — for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pennman, 
who  succeeded  him,  soon  engaged  in  secular  pursuits,  and  then  re- 
turned home.  For  several  months  the  voice  of  a  preacher  was 
not  heard  in  the  deserted  chapel — till  the  appointment  in  the 
summer  of  1S51  of  the  Rev.  W.  R.  Gober  (late  member  of  the 
Assembly  from  Santa  Clara)  to  its  charge.  The  debt  of  the 
Church  had  now  increased  to  over  $2,000;  the  members,  few  in 
number,  and  scattered  through  the  country;  those  who  remained 
were  backsliders  and  lukewarm — giving  altogether  a  doubtful 
aspect  to  the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  enterprise.  Not- 
withstanding these  discouragements  he  went  to  work,  and  by  his 
example  infused  new  life  and  strength  in  that  wrhich  remained. 
The  whole  of  the  interest  and  part  of  the  principal  was  paid,  the 
church  newly  pewed,  painted,  and  curtained,  and  prosperity  again 
began  to  mark  her  career.  Of  an  exalted  standard  of  Christian 
and  moral  excellence,  and  great  dignity  of  bearing,  Mr.  Gober 
had  to  be  known  to  be  appreciated;   to  a  casual  observer  he  would 


26  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

sometimes  seem  supercilious,  but  a  nearer  acquaintance  with  him 
would  dissipate  any  such  preconceived  notions. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  he  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  John  Mat- 
thews, from  Tennessee,  whose  ministry  was  attended  with  some 
success,  and  was  highly  acceptable  to  his  congregation.  Again 
the  Church-debt  increased  to  an  amount  sufficient  to  make  it  a 
matter  of  doubt  whether  or  not  it  could  ever  be  overcome.  It 
was  thought  to  be  easier  to  raise  money  to  build  in  a  different 
part  of  the  city  than  the  amount  requisite  to  release  the  mortgage 
on  this.  An  attempt  was  made,  several  thousand  dollars  sub- 
scribed, but  not  enough  to  purchase  a  lot  and  build.  In  this  di- 
lemma the  mortgager  notified  the  trustees  that  a  week  would  be 
given  to  redeem  it.  The  time  arrived,  and  not  a  dollar  had  been 
raised,  when  one  of  the  trustees,  from  his  private  funds,  paid  the 
entire  debt,  amounting  to  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  In  three  weeks  after,  the  memorable  fire  of  November 
2d  occurred,  by  which  all  the  churches,  except  Mr.  Benton's, 
were  destroyed.  The  thought  of  building  again  was  scarcely  en- 
tertained, in  view  of  the  financial  enervation  caused  by  the  fire. 
The  Society  obtained  permission  to  worship  in  the  County  Court 
room,  which  continued  for  about  eight  months. 

At  the  second  session  of  the  Pacific  Annual  Conference  Mr. 
Matthews  was  returned  to  Sacramento,  but  in  a  few  weeks  aban- 
doned the  charge  and  went  home.  Bishop  Soule  immediately 
appointed  the  Rev.  B.  T.  Crouch,  who  accompanied  him  to  Cali- 
fornia, to  succeed  him.  But  little  time  elapsed  before  active 
measures  were  taken  to  rebuild  on  the  site  of  the  old  church,  the 
lot  having  been  given  the  trustees  for  that  purpose.  With  the 
assistance  of  the  trustees,  a  sufficient  amount  was  subscribed  to 
guarantee  the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  work.  A  neat 
brick  basement,  thirty-seven  and  a  half  by  sixty-five  feet,  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  between  $6,000  and  $7,000 — $2,000  of  which 
remained  unprovided  for  at  its  completion.  To  raise  this  the 
Home  Missionary  Board  was  memorialized,  the  response  to  which 
was  a  draft  on  its  Treasurer  for  $2,000,  to  be  paid  in  yearly  in- 
stallments of  $500  each.  There  is  no  legal  claim  on  the  Society 
for  the  original  debt — hence  it  is  altogether  unincumbered.  If 
ever  finished  as  the  plan  contemplates,  it  will  be  second  only  to 


Os  the  Pacific  Coast.  27 

Mr.  Benton's  church  in  size  and  appearance.  The  Rev.  B.  T. 
Crouch  deserves  much  credit  for  his  activity  and  energy  in  prose- 
cuting the  work  and  raising  the  means  to  pay  the  debt  contracted 
in  building,  as  well  as  for  the  able  manner  in  which  he  filled  his 
position  as  resident  minister.  With  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
combined  with  a  noble  impulse  of  doing  good,  his  friends  hope 
for  him  a  career  of  much  usefulness  to  the  Church.  He  is  now 
President  of  the  Female  Institute  at  San  Jose,  and  stationed 
preacher  of  that  place. 

The  Rev.  A.  Graham,  an  able  and  deeply  pious  minister,  was 
appointed  by  the  Conference  which  recently  held  its  session  here, 
pastor  of  Asbury  Chapel.  The  Society  was  almost  unanimous 
in  its  request  for  his  appointment,  and  the  writer  doubts  not  that 
it  will  result  in  great  good  to  the  Church  and  community.  The 
membership,  though  numbering  only  thirty-five,  were  never  in 
a  higher  state  of  prosperity,  spiritually,  than  at  present.  The 
clouds  and  gloom  of  the  past  have  been  dissipated,  and  a  fine 
prospect  is  presented  for  the  future. 

Thompson  and  West  say: 

In  April,  1850,  the  Rev.  D.  W.  Pollock  organized  this  Church, 
holding  the  first  meeting  on  Seventh  Street,  between  J  and  K 
Streets. 

Mr.  Pollock  was  a  remarkably  earnest  and  energetic  man.  It 
is  said  that  he  himself  planned  and  mainly  built  the  first  church- 
edifice  of  this  denomination  in  Sacramento.  This,  a  wooden 
building,  stood  on  the  same  site  as  the  present  brick  church,  and 
was  completed  during  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Pollock's  ministry. 
•  The  fire  of  November,  1852,  destroyed  the  house  of  worship, 
and  what  was  intended  as  the  basement  of  another  house  was 
erected  on  the  same  spot  in  1S53  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  This  was 
of  brick.  Afterward  the  plan  was  changed,  and  the  present 
edifice  was  the  result.  This  house  was  dedicated  July  10,  1S59, 
Bishop  Pierce,  then  recently  from  Georgia,  conducting  the  serv- 
ice. 

In  the  fall  of  1850  Mr.  Pollock,  on  account  of  ill  health,  re- 
turned to  Alabama,  where  he  died  in  the  following  year.  His 
successor  at  Sacramento  was  a  Rev.  Mr.  Pennman,  who  remained 


28  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

only  a  short  time,  when  he  abandoned  the  ministry  and  engaged 
in  other  pursuits. 

In  this  connection  it  is  fact  worthy  of  mention  that, 
in  addition  to  other  efforts  made  to  save  our  Church 
property  in  1S52  in  Sacramento,  those  put  forth  by 
Sister  W.  R.  Gober,  the  wife  of  the  preacher  in  charge, 
stand  forth  prominently. 

She  was  a  young  and  inexperienced  Southern  girl, 
and  while  the  duties  of  her  household,  in  which  she 
then  had  but  little  skill,  were  pressing  upon  her,  she 
took  the  streets  and  collected  from  business -men,  and 
miners  from  the  mountains,  few  of  whom  she  had  ever 
seen  before,  over  one  thousand  dollars.  This  was  done 
in  a  few  days. 

This  is  but  one  of  the  many  instances  which  have 
marked  the  energy  and  devotion  of  the  preachers' 
wives  and  other  women  of  California.  In  fact,  the 
Church  in  California,  in  every  period  of  its  history, 
owes  more  to  the  women  than  to  any  other  human 
agency.  They  have  ever  stood  by  the  ministers  of 
God,  and  encouraged  and  helped  them  in  their  work. 

During  this  time  Dr.  Boring,  who  was  acting  pastor 
in  San  Francisco,  was  not  idle  as  superintendent  of 
the  Mission,  but  labored  with  great  zeal,  earnestness, 
and  ability.  From  time  to  time  he  visited  Sacramento, 
Stockton,  and  many  other  places  in  the  interior,  every- 
where strengthening  and  encouraging  the  preachers 
and  people. 

In  the  fall  of  1850  A.  M.  Wynn  visited  Sonora,  then 
the  most  flourishing  town  in  the  southern  mines,  having 
a  population  of  three  thousand,  while  there  were  ten 
thousand  miners  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  who  pur- 
chased their  supplies  and  got  their  mail  there.     There 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


29 


was  not  a  single  white  woman  in  or  around  the  town. 
Prior  to  this  visit  there  had  never  been  a  sermon 
preached  or  a  prayer  offered  in  public,  either  in  the 
town  or  the  surrounding  country.  The  rich  mines 
found  in  and  around  the  town  kept  the  people  constant- 
ly stirring  with  excitement.  No  Jtime  was  given  to 
any  thing  else  but  the  accumulation  of  gold,  with  its 
concomitant  results  and  labors. 

With  the  assistance  of  a  Rev.  Mr,  Annis,  a  local 
preacher  from  Arkansas,  who  was  then  merchandising 
in  Sonora,  Brother  Wynn  secured  the  use  of  the  largest 
gambling-house  in  town  in  which  to  preach.  Notice 
was  given  to  the  miners  that  there  would  be  preaching  in 
this  house,  and  about  seven  hundred  assembled.  The 
great  majority  of  them  were  men  of  intelligence  and  cul- 
ture ;  for,  as  a  rule,  the  early  comers  to  California  were 
men  of  more  than  ordinary  energy,  and  many  of  them 
were  men  of  fine  education.  These  men,  for  the  time 
being,  donned  the  miner's  garb,  and  with  pick  and  shovel 
toiled  day  after  day  in  the  mines.  Most  of  them  had 
been  reared  under  gospel  privileges.  While  they  were 
here,  far  away  from  the  homes  and  scenes  of  their  child- 
hood, their  mothers,  wives,  and  children  were  then  sur- 
rounded by  these  hallowed  influences.  A  call  to  wor- 
ship once  more,  met  with  a  ready  and 'hearty  response 
from  them.  Quietly  they  seated  themselves,  and  ear- 
nestly they  listened  to  the  familiar  notes  of  the  gospel 
message.  In  the  company  before  him  there  were  those 
who  had  once  been  members  of  the  Church.  The  serv- 
ice was  of  the.  most  solemn  and  impressive  character. 
The  audience  was  deeply  moved.  Memory  awoke  from 
her  enforced  slumbers,  and  clothed  the  scene  with  un- 
wonted interest.      In   that  company  there  were  affec- 


30  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

tionate  husbands,  far  away  from  their  wives — fathers 
who  had  not  seen  their  children  for  years. 

These  men,  in  their  eager  search  for  gold,  had  thrown 
themselves  into  the  midst  of  the  wildest  scenes  of  excite- 
ment, and  after  months  of  voluntary  exile  from  the  altars 
where  their  fathers  worshiped,  lived,  and  died,  and 
where  their  precious  ones  bowed  even  then  to  pray  for 
them,  were  aroused  by  the  sweet  songs  of  Zion,  and 
the  pathetic  preaching  of  this  man  of  God,  who  had 
tracked  them  to  their  wilds  to  tell  them  of  Jesus  and  his 
love.  Their  feelings  overcame  them,  and  with  an  emo- 
tion that  swept  that  vast  assemblage,  they  bowed  and 
wept  in  convulsive  sobs.  The  preacher  rose  with  the 
tide  ;  he  caught  a  mightier  inspiration,  his  voice  trem- 
bling with  an  emotion  deeper  than  ever  felt  before. 
Again  and  again,  as  with  a  master  hand,  he  swept  their 
heart-strings.  Taking  advantage  of  the  occasion,  he 
at  once  organized  a  Church  of  thirteen  members. 

He  preached  again  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  next 
morning  secured  a  lot  on  which  to  build  a  church,  and 
opened  a  subscription  for  means  to  build  it — two  or 
three  of  the  members  agreeing  to  hold  services  and 
look  after  the  affairs  of  the  Church  until  a  missionary 
could  be  sent  to  them.  No  doubt  but  that  most  if  not 
all  these  thirteen  had  been  members  of  the  Church 
before.  There  were  hundreds  of  men  all  through  the 
mines  that  had  been  members  of  the  various  Christian 
denominations  in  the  older  States,  some  few  of  them 
holding  on  to  their  integrity  as  Christians  ;  while  many 
others,  yielding  to  the  pressure  to  sin  that  had  been 
brought  to  bear  on  them  here,  had  renounced  their 
religion  and  become  openly  profane.  Out  from  under 
the  eye  of  those  who  knew  of  their  professions,  they 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  31 

neglected  their  religious  duties,  and  followed  the  mul- 
titude to  do  evil.  This  state  of  affairs  made  the  work 
in  California  exceedingly  difficult. 

Of  the  three  original  missionaries  of  our  Church, 
A.  M.  Wynn  seems  to  have  been  the  Evangelist ;  for 
soon  after  this  visit  to  Sonora,  we  find  him  going  to 
Sonoma,  Napa,  and  Benicia,  and  preaching  in  each 
place.     He  organized  a  Church  in  the  town  of  Sonoma. 

Although  the  city  of  Stockton  is  reached  by  the  trade 
winds  that  sweep  up  through  the  Straits  of  Carquinez 
from  the  bay,  yet  it  lies  so  low,  the  tides  from  the  ocean 
affecting  the  slough  upon  which  it  is  built,  and  is  so 
near  to  the  swamp  and  overflowed  lands  that  border 
the  San  Joaquin  and  Mokelumne  Rivers,  as  well  as  the 
intervening  sloughs,  that  the  climate  is  trying  to  those 
who  are  easily  affected  by  heat  and  malaria.  In  cross- 
ing the  Isthmus,  both  Brother  Wynn  and  his  wife  took 
what  is  known  as  Panama  fever,  which  is  nothing  less 
than  a  malarial  fever  of  a  persistent,  malignant  type. 
Once  in  the  system,  it  is  exceedingly  hard  to  eradicate, 
and  is  easily  aroused  to  renewed  action  when  circum- 
stances favor  its  development.  After  some  months  of 
sojourn  in  Stockton  it  was  found  necessary  to  make  a 
change  of  climate.  Not  only  so,  but  as  San  Jose  was 
then  the  capital  of  the  State,  it  was  thought  by  Dr. 
Boring  and  others  that  it  was  much  more  important  to 
occupy  and  hold  this  point  than  Stockton.  Therefore 
Brother  Wynn  was  sent  to  this  place  in  the  spring  of 

1S51. 

On  April  16,  185 1,  the  anniversary  of  their  landing  in 
California,  Dr.  Boring  and  Brother  Wynn  met  in  San 
Francisco  to  consult  about  the  interests  of  the  work  and 
to  plan  for  future  operations. 


32  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

When  they  came  to  the  Mission  it  was  expected  that 
the  following  year  at  least  double  the  number  of  preach- 
ers were  to  be  sent  out.  But  a  year  had  passed,  and  not 
one  had  come.  Nor  did  they  know  of  any  movement 
on  the  part  of  the  Church  at  home  by  which  they  were 
to  be  strengthened.  Pollock  had  gone  back,  Wynn 
was  himself  in  feeble  health,  and  the  work  was  devel- 
oping and  enlarging  under  their  hands.  What  were 
they  to  do  ?  It  looked  like  a  sin  to  give  it  up,  and  like 
folly  to  prosecute  it  by  themselves.  They  saw  that 
California  was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  leading 
States  of  the  Union;  that  it  was  the  gateway  to  the 
great  West,  and  perhaps  would  be,  at  no  distant  day, 
the  point  from  which  all  the  great  mission-fields  of  the 
Orient  were  to  be  reached.  For  our  Church  to  aban- 
don the  field  in  view  of  such  prospects  and  possibilities 
as  these,  was  more  than  they  were  willing  to  consent  to. 
They  stood  alone,  almost  beyond  the  reach  and  sym- 
pathy of  the  Church  at  home,  surrounded  by  new  and 
strange  difficulties;  struggling  on,  in  spite  of  ill  health, 
embarrassments,  discouragements,  and  meager  mission- 
ary appropriations,  they  felt  as  none  but  those  in  like 
circumstances  could  feel. 

Another  source  of  embarrassment  lay  in  the  fact  that 
no  other  Christian  organization  on  the  coast  sympa- 
thized with  them.  The  name — Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South — to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all  from 
north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,  meant  not  only  sec- 
tionalism, but  slavery.  They  linked  their  Church,  nat- 
urally, with  that  institution;  and  no  declaration  to  the 
contrary,  and  no  explanation  would,  or  could,  convince 
them  to  the  contrary.  They  were  looked  upon  as  slav- 
ery propagandists,  who  formed  the  vanguard  of  that 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  33 

power  that  intended,  after  all,  to  make  California  a 
slave  State.  But  these  men  knew  theirs  to  be  a  right- 
eous cause.  They  knew  that  the  policy  of  our  Church 
was  non-interference  with  political  matters;  that  while 
our  name  might,  to  the  unthinking  or  the  uninformed, 
make  us  appear  to  be  sectional,  yet  we  were  the  least 
sectional  of  all  the  Churches  in  the  land. 

Having  once  planted  the  standard  of  our  Church  on 
the  coast,  they  determined  not  only  not  to  abandon  it, 
but  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  gather  about  it  those  who 
would  make  its  principles  a  success.  Their  reliance 
was  upon  God.  They  saw  vast  fields  waving  and 
white  to  the  harvest;  they  knew  that  these  fields 
were  the  heritage  of  our  Lord,  and  felt  that  as  serv- 
ants of  the  Lord  they  must  not  only  enter,  but  abide  in 
them. 

They  kneeled  and  prayed  together  to  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  to  send  them  help,  and  after  committing  them- 
selves to  divine  guidance  and  direction,  they  determined 
to  make  one  more  appeal  to  the  whole  Church  at  home. 
The  Rev.  C.  Gridley,  formerly  a  member  of  the  Louis- 
iana Conference,  was  employed  by  Dr.  Boring  to  take 
charge  of  the  Church  in  Stockton  upon  the  removal  of 
Brother  Wynn.  He  was  present  on  this  memorable 
occasion,  and  assented  to  the  plans  formed. 

They  requested  each  one  of  the  Annual  Confer- 
ences to  raise  $1,000  within  its  bounds,  independent  of 
their  regular  missionary  collections,  and  that  the  Bishop 
appoint  a  missionary  from  said  Conference  until  twenty 
men  should  be  sent  out,  the  $1,000  paying  the  neces- 
sary expenses  of  each  respectively — all  to  be  done 
within  the  next  twelve  months — so  that  on  April  1^, 
1852,  we  might  organize  a  regular  Annual  Conference 

3 


34 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


of  twenty  or  more  members.  This  was  a  grand  con- 
ception. God  was  evidently  in  it,  and  it  was  to  bring 
forth  abundant  fruit. 

The  appeal  was  made  to  all  the  Bishops  and  through 
the  several  papers  of  the  Church.  It  was  a  desperate 
venture,  but  it  was  to  take  that  risk  or  die;  and  it  was 
adopted,  and  succeeded — so  said  even  Dr.  Stevens,  the 
historian  of  Methodism.  He  pronounced  the  move- 
ment wise  and  forecasting.  The  original  suggestion 
came  from  Dr.  Boring. 

But  even  this  last  grand  struggle  for  life  was  assailed 
by  a  high  dignitary  of  the  Church — Dr.  C.  B.  Parsons — 
who  was  at  the  time  a  member  of  the  Parent  Board  of 
Missions,  then  located  at  Louisville,  Ky.  He  not  only 
censured  the  plan,  but  influenced  the  Board  to  change 
it  by  allowing  the  Annual  Conferences  within  whose 
bounds  the  extra  $1,000  might  be  raised  under  this 
plan  to  elect  its  own  missionaries  instead  of  leaving  the 
selection  and  appointment  to  the  Bishops,  where  it 
belonged.  As  simple  as  this  change  seemed,  it  did 
great  harm  to  the  Mission  by  sending  to  it  some  men 
that  we  would  have  been  far  better  off  without.  There 
is  ever  a  class  of  men  who,  if  they  do  not  succeed  in 
their  own  Conferences,  think  they  can  do  better  else- 
where; and  if  opportunity  offers,  they  are  ever  ready  to 
go.  But,  as  a  general  rule,  men  who  are  unfit  for  the 
work  in  one  place  will  do  but  little  good  if  sent  else- 
where. And,  above  all  things,  a  work  like  this,  at  this 
time,  needed  the  best  men  the  Church  had  to  give. 
Another  fact:  It  is  often  the  case  that  men  are  willing 
to  let  an  objectionable  man  go  from  them,  though  they 
may  be  convinced  his  going  will  be  an  injury  to  the 
work  to  which  he  goes.     The  work  in  California  suf- 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  35 

fered   as   much   from   men   not  adapted   to  it  as   from 
almost  any  other  cause. 

After  this  meeting,  Brother  Wynn  returned  to  San 
Jose  and  Brother  Gridley  to  Stockton.  Brother  Wynn 
secured  the  Assembly  Chamber  as  a  place  of  preaching. 
He  soon  had  a  fine  congregation,  and  organized  with 
a  membership  of  sixteen.  We  are  enabled  to  procure 
only  the  names  of  the  following  of  this  first  class  :  The 
Rev.  Charles  Campbell,  wife  and  two  daughters, 
Mrs;  Dr.  F.  G.  Ray,  Miss  M.  R.  Campbell,  Marcus 
Williams  and  wife,  Dr.  L.  H.  Bascom  and  wife,  A. 
Hatler  and  wife,  and  J.  W.  Powell. 

The  Rev.  Charles  Campbell  was  a  local  preacher 
from  the  State  of  Kentucky.  He  came  to  California  in 
1S49  with  the  first  great  rush  to  these  golden  shores. 
He  entered  heartily  into  this  organization,  and  exerted 
all  his  influence  for  its  promotion.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  mind.  His  sermons  were  alwavs  original  and 
logical.  In  an  early  day  in  Kentucky  he  posted  him- 
self on  the  immersion  controversy,  and  was  frequently 
called  upon  to  defend  Methodist  views  on  that  subject, 
in  which  he  was  ever  successful.  .  He  lived  for  a  time 
in  San  Francisco,  where  he  identified  himself  with  the 
Methodist  Church,  South,  in  that  city.  Subsequently 
he  moved  to  Oakland,  and  was,  I  believe,  elected  its 
second  mayor.  In  early  life  he  had  studied  law,  and  re- 
suming his  study  of  that  profession,  he  began  its  prac- 
tice. From  Oakland  he  removed  to  Stockton,  where  he 
was  elected  District  Attorney  of  San  Joaquin  County. 
He  afterward  removed  to  Yolo  Countv,  where  he  end- 
ed his  career  in  1862.  Wherever  he  lived  he  exerted  a 
good  religious  influence,  preaching  whenever  opportu- 
nity offered.     He  was  licensed  to  preach  about  the  time 


36  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Bishop  Kavanaugh  was,  and  was  successful  in  his  min- 
istry in  Kentucky.  But  instead  of  turning  all  his 
thoughts  and  energies  to  the  one  grand  theme,  as  did 
the  Bishop,  he  filled  his  hands  with  secular  business, 
and  hence  he  did  not  accomplish  as  much  for  God  and 
his  fellow -men  as  he  would  otherwise  have  done. 
Whenever  we  heard  his  clear  and  forcible  expositions 
of  Scripture  we  grudged  such  powers  to  the  world. 

His  wife  was  a  sweet-spirited,  devoted  member  of 
the  Church,  and  while  she  was  not  demonstrative,  yet 
she  ever  felt  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the  cause 
of  Christ.  She  survived  her  husband  some  four  years. 
A  little  more  than  two  years  before  her  death  she  was 
stricken  with  paralysis,  that  destroyed  her  power  of 
speech,  and  no  doubt  weakened  her  mind.  But  during 
all  her  illness,  whenever  the  name  of  Jesus  was  spoken 
of  to  her,  her  eye  would  kindle,  and  with  her  well  hand 
she  would  point  heavenward,  as  much  as  to  say,  "All 
is  well,  and  soon  I  shall  pass  to  my  home  above,  where 
I  shall  be  free  from  life's  ills  and  sorrows."  She  died 
at  the  residence  of  her  son-in-law,  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Sim- 
mons, in  Vacaville,  in  1S66,  and  was  laid  to  rest  beside 
her  husband  in  the  quiet  cemetery  in  Woodland,  to 
await  the  resurrection  trump  that  shall  call  all  God's 
people  to  glory,  immortality,  and  eternal  life. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ray,  wife  of  Dr.  F.  G.  Ray,  soon 
after  she  united  with  the  Church  in  San  Jose,  removed 
to  Georgetown,  in  El  Dorado  County.  There  was  no 
organization  of  our  Church  there  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  she  remained  faithful  to  the  Church  of  her  fathers, 
and  although  denied  the  religious  privileges  and  associ- 
ations that  were  vouchsafed  to  many,  yet  she  was  faith- 
ful to  her  duties,  and  never-  for  a  moment  lost  her  reli- 


> 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  37 


o-ious  enjoyment.  Her  reverence  and  love  for  the  Bible 
was  most  remarkable.  She  never  could  bear  to  see  one 
use  it  for  a  profane  purpose,  nor  would  she  place  another 
book  on  it  as  it  lay  on  the  table.  She  lived  a  consistent 
Christian  life,  loved  and  honored  by  her  family  and 
friends,  and  died  in  great  peace  at  the  little  town  of 
Liberty,  in  San  Joaquin  County,  in  1868. 
y'  Miss  Margaret  R.  Campbell,  the  second  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Charles  Campbell,  married  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Simmons,  June  28,  1853,  and  has  shared  the  fortunes 
of  an  itinerant's  life  to  the  present  writing.  She  has 
ever  encouraged  her  husband  to  devote  his  whole  life 
to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry,  has  shared  his 
travels  and  privations,  and  assisted  in  rearing  their  five 
children,  by  diligence  and  economy,  to  the  estate  of 
manhood  and  womanhood. 

Marcus  Williams  was  a  member  of  the.  Methodist 
Church,  South,  before  coming  to  California.  He  united 
with  the  Church  at  the  first  organization,  glad  once 
more  to  be  associated  with  the  people  of  his  choice. 
He  acted  as  steward  of  the  San  Jose  Charge  to  the  day 
of  his  death.  He  was  ever  faithful  to  his  Christian 
duties,  and  the  savor  of  his  influence  was  good.  His 
house  was  the  preacher's  home.  His  end  was  peace. 
His  wife  was  also  a  devoted  Southern  Methodist.  It 
was  ever  her  delight  to  have  the  preachers  at  her  home, 
and  to  minister  to  their  wants. 

Dr.  L.  H.  Bascom  was  a  half-brother  of  Bishop  Bas- 
com,  and  shared  in  the  intellect  that  distinguished  that 
family.  He  came  to  California  at  an  early  day,  crossing 
the  plains  with  his  family.  For  a  time  he  practiced 
his  profession  in  Santa  Clara  County.  His  mind  was 
far-reaching  in  its  movements,  and  the  plans  he  laid  for 


38  History  of  Southern  Methodism. 

his  beloved  Church  were  always  on  a  large  scale.  It 
was  largely  through  his  influence  that  two  entire  blocks, 
located  in  what  is  now  the  heart  of  San  Jose,  were 
secured  to  our  Church  for  educational  purposes.  He 
was  exceedingly  dignified  in  his  carriage,  and  seemed 
as  one  born  to  move  in  the  higher  circles  of  society. 
His  hospitality  was  proverbial.  It  was  ever  his  delight 
to  have  his  friends  around  his  board,  and  especially  did 
he  rejoice  to  have  the  company  of  the  preachers  of 
his  Church.  In  his  latter  years  he  was  greatly  afflicted 
with  asthma.  He  was  ready  when  the  summons  came 
for  his  passage  to  the  Church  above.  His  wife,  who 
still  survives  him,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  women 
we  have  ever  known.  Possessed  of  great  vivacity,  ana 
remarkable  for  her  humor  and  wit,  it  is  ever  a  delight 
to  be  in  her  company.  In  an  early  day  she  met  the 
strange  surroundings  of  the  new  order  of  things  that 
obtained  in  California  with  the  utmost  tact,  making 
every  thing  minister  to  her  humor.  Drawing  from  the 
greatest  hardships  and  the  most  unexpected  and  unfore- 
seen difficulties  the  most  amusing  incidents,  she  laid 
them  away  in  memory's  casket,  and  with  them  regaled 
and  delighted  her  friends  ever  afterward.  Her  fund 
of  personal  adventure  and  amusing  trials  seemed  in- 
exhaustible. During  the  memorable  first  Legislature, 
when  San  Jose  was  the  capital  of  the  State,  many  of 
the  legislators  boarded  with  her,  when  she  lived  in  a 
rude  shanty.  It  is  said  that  frequently,  when  these 
statesmen  would  come  in  to  their  meals,  and  she  was 
hurried  with  her  work,  she  would  set  them  to  turning 
"flap-jacks,"  toasting  bread,  or  stirring  "frijoles,"  and 
no  one  ever  felt  it  other  than  a  privilege  to  do  what  she 
bade  him.     Could  some  short-hand    reporter,  without 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


39 


her  knowledge,  catch  some  of  the  numerous  incidents 
related  by  her  in  one  of  her  happy  moods,  and  give  them 
to  the  world  with  the  life  and  flavor  with  which  she 
relates  them,  it  would  make  one  of  the  most  amusing 
books  ever  written.  Her  devotion  to  her  Church  has 
been  life-long  and  ardent.  Like  Lydia,  she  ever  ^con- 
strained" the  servants  of  Jesus  to  make  her  house  their 
home.  That  home  has  been  the  resting-place  of  many 
a  weary  itinerant. 

Of  J.  W.  Powell  we  can  learn  nothing. 

While  Wynn  was  pushing  the  work  in  San  Jose,  and 
Gridley  in  Stockton,  Dr.  Boring  was  laboring  with 
equal  zeal  in  San  Francisco.  Up  to  this  time  no  steps 
hall  been  taken  to  build  a  house  of  worship  in  this  city. 
But  now  Dr.  Boring,  hearing  of  a  house  that  had  been 
framed  in  the  east,  and  had  been  brought  round  Cape 
Horn,  made  arrangements  for  its  purchase.  The  build- 
ing had  been  originally  intended  for  a  warehouse,  but 
it  was  thought  by  certain  changes  and  modifications  it 
could  be  made  to  subserve  the  purposes  of  a  church. 
It  was  forty  by  sixty  feet  in  dimensions.  It  was  erected 
on  a  lot  fronting  on  Powell  Street,  near  Clay,  and  called 
Wesley  Chapel. 

About  the  same  time  C.  Gridley  began  to  consummate 
the  plans,  already  inaugurated  by  A.  M.  Wynn,  for 
building  a  church  in  Stockton,  while  Wynn  began  the 
erection  of  a  large  brick  church  in  the  city  of  San  Jose. 

After  the  one  in  San  Francisco,  the  church  in  San 
Jose  was  the  first  completed.  The  building  of  such  a 
house  at  this  early  period  was  attended  with  no  small 
difficulty.  The  labor,  toil,  and  expense  were  immense. 
Those  engaged  in  the  enterprise  met  with  many  dis- 
couragements.    Every  man  was  intent  on  his  own  busi- 


40  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ness,  and  business  was  then  transacted  on  the  high- 
pressure  system;  hence  the  preacher  had  almost  every- 
thing to  do.  He  had  to  order  and  look  after  materials, 
make  contracts,  make  and  collect  subscriptions,  pay 
bills,  superintend  the  work,  and  keep  ends  together 
generally.  But  in  San  Jose  he  had  such  men  as  Bas- 
com,  Langhorne,  Hicks,  Hoppie,  Basham,  Hammond, 
and  Charles  and  Thomas  Campbell.  These  men,  with 
their  noble  families,  seconded  all  the  efforts  of  the 
preacher,  and,  so  far  as  time  would  allow,  gave  material 
aid;  but  "  time  was  money  "  then,  and  every  hour  spent 
outside  of  business  was  like  so  much  gold  lost.  How- 
ever, this  indefatigable  missionary  threw  his  whole 
soul  into  the  work,  and  by  incessant  begging,  toiling, 
and  perseverance,  often  working  with  his  own  hands, 
and  giving  very  largely  of  his  own  private  means,  the 
church  was  at  last  completed. 

Dr.  Boring,  who  preached  the  dedication  sermon, 
says,  as  copied  from  the  Christian  Observer,  of  Oct. 
27,  1852: 

On  Sunday,  the  17th  instant,  according  to  previous  notice,  the 
church  recently  erected  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  in  the  city  of  San  Jose,  was  dedicated  to  Almighty  God. 

The  building  is  thirty-six  by  fifty  feet,  built  of  bricks,  well 
plastered,  having  a  hard  finish,  and  is  fitted  up  in  handsome  style, 
with  carpets,  lights,  etc.  Altogether,  this  is  the  best  church-edi- 
fice we  have  seen  in  the  State,  and  does  honor  to  its  pastor  and 
the  citizens  of  San  Jose.  But  the  best  is  yet  to  be  told.  The 
house,  though  a  fine  one,  and  of  course  costly,  was  entirely  paid 
for  before  the  dedicatory  prayer  was  offered  up.  The  preacher, 
the  Rev.  A.  M.  Wynn.  under  whose  untiring  efforts  the  enter- 
prise has  been  thus  far  carried  on,  reported  to  us  at  the  close  of 
the  sermon  that  the  whole  property  (lot,  building,  and  fixtures) 
had  cost  $5,350,  of  which  $1,750  had  been  paid,  leaving  a  debt  of 
$3,600  to  be  provided  for.     This  was  a  formidable  sum  to  parade 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  41 

before  an  audience  of  three  hundred  persons;  but  knowing  the 
liberality  of  Californians,  and  the  indomitable  energy  of  San 
Jose  Californians,  we  presented  the  debt  and  asked  that  it  should 
be  met  before  the  house  was  offered  to  God.  No  undue  means 
were  used,  no  excitement  created,  and  yet  in  a  short  time  the 
whole  was  consummated  by  the  presentation  of  the  very  hand- 
some sum  of  $3,600.  It  should  be  noted,  too,  that  owing  to  some 
unexpected  delays,  the  church  was  not  yet  completed  by  so  much 
as  a  week's  work.  This  is  a  rare  example — a  church  not  only 
not  left  in  debt,  but  paid  for  before  it  is  finished.  We  feel  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  this  is  the  best,  the  very  best,  contribu- 
tion we  have  ever  known,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons 
present. 

Wicked  as  California  is  supposed  to  be  by  our  Atlantic  friends 
and  brethren,  and  little  worth  the  "vast  expetiditure  of  money'1'' 
in  the  missionary  enterprise  of  the  Pacific,  we  challenge  them  to 
present  a  parallel  to  the  example  of  these  worthy  San  Jose 
friends.  We  note  with  great  pleasure  the  fact  that  this  extraor- 
dinary contribution  was  led  off  promptly  and  encouraged  at  every 
step  by  young  men  who  were  not  members  of  the  Church,  and 
that  the  men  of  the  world  generally,  with  remarkable  liberality 
and  promptness,  undertook  and  carried  out  the  enterprise. 

There  are  some  whose  names  we  should  like  to  announce  but 
for  the  appearance  of  invidious  distinctions,  and  the  fact  that  all, 
both  old  and  young,  in  the  Church  and  out  of  it,  seemed  deter- 
mined alike  to  blot  out  the  debt. 

One  case  we  cannot,  in  justice  to  our  feelings,  omit.  There 
was  one  present,  a  lady,  a  lone  woman  with  whom  we  had  met 
and  tarried  a  night  near  three  years  ago  at  the  Half-way  House 
on  the  Isthmus,  between  Chagres  and  Panama,  when  on  our  way 
to  this  country.  We  shared  her  hospitalities,  read  the  word  of 
God,  and  sung  and  prayed  in  her  tent  in  that  strange  land.  She 
was  on  her  way  to  the  land  of  gold,  as  she  said,  "  to  make  money 
to  give  to  God  and  his  cause."  She  has  prospered  in  her  labor 
of  love,  and  being  present  at  the  dedication,  was  amongst  the  first 
to  give  one  hundred  dollars.  We  had  not  seen  her  since  parting 
at  the  door  of  her  tent  on  the  Isthmus  and  under  her  blessings 
until  her  name  broke  upon  our  ears  as  the  contributor  of  the  above 


42  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

sum.  The  recollections  and  emotions  awakened  at  the  moment 
were  of  an  inexpressible  sort.  God  bless  Miss !  and  wher- 
ever the  influences  of  Pacific  Methodism  are  felt  may  this  worthy 
example  be  spoken  of  as  a  memorial. 

We  avail  ourselves  and  brethren  of  San  Jose  of  the  occasion 
to  express  the  pleasure  experienced  from  the  kind  example  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Corwin,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  that 
city,  and  his  congregation,  as  also  those  of  the  members  of  other 
Churches,  in  assembling  with  us  and  contributing  to  the  interest 
of  the  occasion.  Mr.  Corwin,  being  present,  was  requested,  in 
conclusion  of  the  service,  to  lead  in  the  dedicatory  praj^er,  in 
which  God  was  eminently  nigh  to  hear  the  cry  of  his  servant  and 
people.  Long  may  the  sweet  savor  of  this  memorable  occasion 
rest  upon  the  people  of  the  beautiful  plains  of  San  Jose. 

We  cannot  forbear  the  expression  of  our  strong  conviction 
that  God  will  bless  and  prosper  the  people  who  thus  contribute 
to  his  cause.  We  shall  expect  to  hear  of  his  goings  forth  among 
them  to  salvation. 

This  was  the  first  Southern  Methodist  Church  wholly 
built  and  dedicated  in  California.  It  was  kept  in  con- 
stant use  until  1875,  wnen  it -was  torn  down  and  a  new 
and  beautiful  wooden  building  was  erected  in  its  place. 
For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  around  its  altar  gath- 
ered our  people.  There  all  our  Bishops  who  have  vis- 
ited our  coast,  from  the  venerable  Bishop  Soule  to  the 
sainted  Marvin,  have  preached  the  word  of  life.  There 
our  people  have  dedicated  their  children  to  God.  There 
the  blushing  bride  and  manly  groom  have  assumed  the 
solemn  vows  that  have  made  them  one.  From  it  the 
silent  dust  of  God's  saints,  from  the  pilgrim  of  four- 
score years  to  the  infant  of  a  day,  have  been  borne  to 
their  last  resting-place  in  the  quiet  city  of  the  dead. 
Many  an  angel  has  shaken  out  his  pinions  and  sped 
from  the  throng  of  her  worshipers  to  bear  to  his  home 
of  light  the  glad   news  that  lost   sinners  were   coming 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  43 

with  tears  of  penitence  back  to  God  and  the  fold  of 
his  flock. 

Not  long  after  the  church  in  San  Jose  was  completed 
Dr.  Boring  was  called  to  Stockton  to  dedicate  one 
there.  This  church  had  been  completed  under  the 
labors  of  C.  Gridley.  As  already  said,  he  was  a  local 
preacher  from  Louisiana  who  had  been  employed  by 
Dr.  Boring  and  put  in  charge  of  the  Church  in  Stock- 
ton. While  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  undoubted 
piety,  yet  he  was  lacking  in  that  mature  judgment  that 
would  have  made  him  a  safe  financier.  He  was  ex- 
ceedingly sanguine.;  and  as  money  was  plenty  every- 
where, as  fortunes  were  being  made  as  by  magic,  and 
there  seemed  to  be  money  in  every  thing,  Brother 
Gridley  took  obligations  and  risks  that  were  disastrous 
in  their  results.  He  made  contracts,  giving  his  personal 
obligations  for  their  payment.  When  he  saw  the  dis- 
aster that  was  coming  upon  him  and  the  whole  enter- 
prise, he  concluded  to  go  to  work  and  meet  his  obliga- 
tions with  what  he  could  make  by  personal  labor  and 
speculation.  Hay  was  held  at  an  enormous  ngiure. 
There  were  thousands  of  acres  of  land  covered  with 
the  finest  grasses,  and  he  hired  men  and  teams,  at 
enormous  prices,  and  went  to  mowing.  This  only 
involved  him  more.  He  then  borrowed  $1,000  and 
went  to  San  Francisco  and  obtained  the  name  of 
Brother  Jesse  Boring,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Mis- 
sion, as  indorser.  This  note  was  to  bear  interest  at  the 
rate  of  eight  per  cent,  per  month,  and  to  be  compounded 
when  not  paid.  The  understanding  was  that  this  note 
was  to  be  paid  as  soon  as  the  money  on  the  church 
could  be  raised.  At  last  the  building  was  finished,  and 
Dr.  Boring  called  on   to  dedicate  it.     The  $1,000  bor- 


44  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

rowed,  with  Dr.  Boring  as  indorser,  was  to  be  used  in 
finishing  the  church.  But  when  Dr.  Boring  reached 
Stockton,  and  inquired  into  the  state  of  affairs,  he  found 
the  note  unpaid  and  the  Church  otherwise  hopelessly 
in  debt  and  under  mortgage.  This  note  proved  the 
utter  financial  ruin  of  Dr.  Boring.  It  was  to  him  the 
"Old  Man  of  the  Sea,"  whose  relentless  limbs  were 
never  unclasped  from  his  neck. 

In  justice  to  this  great  and  good  man,  as  a  faithful 
historian  we  will  at  this  point  give  the  facts  as  we  knew 
them  to  exist.  When  the  revelation  was  made  to  him 
of  the  state  of  affairs  into  which  this  transaction  had 
thrown  him,  he  made  a  desperate  effort  to  pay  this  note 
and  fiee  himself  from  debt.  He  toiled  and  planned, 
made  money  and  paid  thousands  of  dollars,  but  the 
magnitude  of  the  debt  was  too  great,  and  he  was 
crushed.  The  parties  who  held  the  note  waited  and 
worried  long,  but  finally  sued  the  Doctor  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  was  advised  to  "confess  judgment,"  and,  as 
he  says,  knowing  little  or  nothing  about,  law,  and  be- 
lieving the  lawyer  to  be  his  friend,  did  so.  This  con- 
fessing judgment  covered  every  thing  he  had  in  the 
world.  This  simply,  but  immutably,  bound  him  hand 
and  foot.  At  the  time  he  had  property  enough  to  pay 
his  own  debts,  but  this  judgment  stood  like  an  iron 
wall  between  him  and  his  own  creditors. 

At  the  third  annual  session  of  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence, held  in  Stockton,  Bishop  Soule  presiding,  the 
parties  who  held  the  mortgage  against  the  church  came 
forward  and  offered  to  release  the  mortgage  if  the 
friends  of  the  Church  would  raise  a  certain  amount  of 
said  mortgage.  The  effort  was  made  with  success. 
When  the  amount  necessary  had  been  raised  within 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  45 

$1,000,  Bishop  Soule  stated  that  he  held  a  certain 
fund  in  trust  from  the  late  Bishop  McKendree,  to  be 
applied  as  he  (Bishop  Soule)  should  see  proper  to 
any  Church  purpose.  He  said  he  was  willing  to 
apply  $1,000  of  it  to  the  payment  of  this  debt,  pro- 
vided Dr.  Boring:  would  not  suffer  his  claim  to  de- 
prive  the  people  of  Stockton  of  the  Church  property. 
He  said  he  was  unwilling  to  give  it  without  this  pro- 
vision. Dr.  Boring,  who  was  breaking  down  under 
the  weight  of  the  burden  that  this  Church  had  laid 
upon  him,  saw  that  if  he  stood  in  the  way  now  the 
whole  thing  would  be  irrecoverably  lost  to  the  Church, 
and  that  if  he  did  not  get  relief  from  this  source  he 
must  go  down  individually.  So,  with  the  spirit  of  a 
martyr,  he  stepped  out  of  the  way  of  the  Church,  and 
it  was  saved  to  us.  As  to  the  righteousness  of  suffer- 
ing a  brother  thus  to  stand  under  the  load  while  the 
Church  is  free,  is  a  question  that  is  referred  to  a  higher 
tribunal  than  any  on  earth. 

At  this  Conference  Dr.  Boring  was  elected  a  dele- 
gate to  the  General  Conference  to  convene  in  Colum- 
bus, Ga.;  and  while  at  that  Conference  attending  to  the 
work  of  the  Church,  the  Sheriff  of  San  Francisco  sold 
under  execution  for  this  debt  his  last  acre  of  land,  with 
all  his  personal  property  and  household  goods,  and  left 
him  and  family  penniless. 

With  his  financial  credit  ruined,  with  honest  debts 
unpaid  and  disappointed  creditors  suffering,  it  is  not 
strange  that  there  should  have  been  whispers  of  his 
want  of  integrity  and  uprightness  as  a  Christian  minis- 
ter. But  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  God  has 
spared  him  to  vindicate,  by  an  undeviating  devotion  to 
the  grand  interests  of   the  Church  for  which   he  has 


46  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

suffered  and  labored  so  long,  the  integrity  of  his  heart 
and  purpose. 

Since  his  return  to  his  native  State  and  Conference 
his  brethren  who  have  known  him  from  the  bea-inninof 
of  his  ministry  have  honored  him  with  many  prefer- 
ments, and  by  their  acts  of  trust  have  shown  their  ut- 
most confidence  in  his  fidelity.  No  man  in  Georgia 
occupies  a  more  enviable  place  in  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  his  brethren  than  does  this  prince  of  pulpit 
orators,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Boring,  D.D. 

Sacramento  was  the  next  point  at  which  a  church- 
building  was  erected.  Nor  was  it  exempt  from  troubles 
and  disasters.  It  had  been  built  by  D.  W.  Pollock. 
Upon  his  return  home  to  die — as  before  stated — the 
Rev.  Mr.  Pennman,  a  local  preacher,  had  been  put  in 
charge.  He  was  a  mere  adventurer,  with  more  brains 
than  piety.  He  remained  but  a  short  time.  His  after 
history  was  not  good,  and  his  end  sad.  Under  this 
state  of  affairs  the  little  band  that  had  been  gathered 
by  Pollock  had  become  disorganized.  In  September, 
1 85 1,  the  Rev.  W.  R.  Gober  reached  California,  and 
was  immediately  put  in  charge  of  Sacramento.  The 
church  had  been  closed  for  months.  This  church- 
building  was  only  a  shell,  not  even  lined  or  papered, 
with  a  debt  and  mortgage  of  over  «$2,ooo,  drawing  in- 
terest at  three  per  cent,  per  month.  W.  R.  Gober  was 
never  able  to  find  any  record  of  the  organization,  or  the 
names  of  the  members  who  composed  it.  He  at  once 
organized  a  class  of  seventeen  members.  The  Sunday- 
school  at  the  beginning  of  his  administration  was  com- 
posed of  two  little  girls — Maggie  Jamison  being  one  of 
them — with  the  pastor  and  his  wife  as  the  superintend- 
ent, officers,  and  teachers 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


47 


In  the  fall  of  1S52  the  parties  holding  the  morto-ao-e 
against  the  church-building  determined  to  foreclose  by 
a  certain  day  in  the  near  future  if  the  debt  was  not  paid. 
At  length  the  mortgage  was  foreclosed,  the  property 
sold,  and  the  last  day  for  redemption  was  near  at  hand. 

Judge  McGrew  proposed  to  W.  W.  Stovall  that  they 
should  raise  the  money  on  a  joint  note.  They  made 
the  effort,  but  could  find  no  one  who  would  loan  the 
money  on  those  terms.  Affairs  were  growing  desper- 
ate. We  had  one  of  the  most  eligible  lots  for  a  church 
in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  if  we  suffered  it  to  pass 
from  our  hands  now,  the  chances  were  against  our  ever 
securing  such  an  one  again.  W.  W.  Stovall  had  some 
$1,600  iii  his  possession  of  his  own  money.  He  bor- 
rowed $950  more  from  J.  B.  Brewton,  and  paid  $2,650 
to  the  man  who  held  the  debt,  and  thus  saved  the 
church.  He  afterward  paid  Mr.  Brewton  the  amount 
he  had  borrowed  of  him  and  the  interest,  at  the  rate  of 
five  per  cent,  per  month  for  the  time  he  had  it.  Two 
weeks  after  this  occurred  the  disastrous  November  fire 
that  laid  the  whole  city  of  Sacramento  in  ashes.  Our 
church  went  down  with  the  rest,  leaving  us  only  a 
naked  lot  for  all  the  expenditures  that  had  been  made. 
Our  brethren  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  lost 
a  fine  brick  church  they  had  just  completed.  In  fact, 
there  was  but  one  church-building  left  standing  when 
the  smoke  cleared  away,  and  that  was  the  Congrega- 
tional church  on  Sixth  Street. 

The  next  church  was  the  one  built  in  Sonora.  It 
was  found  that  the  title  to  the  lot  on  Powell  Street, 
San  Francisco,  on  which  our  church  was  built,  was  de- 
fective, and  the  building  was  sold.  Another  lot  was 
purchased,  and,  after  a  substantial  brick  basement  was 


48  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

erected  on  it,  it  was  discovered  that  this  lot  was  public 
school  property,  and  the  trustees  of  the  school  gave  us 
just  what  our  improvements  cost  us  for  them,  and  we 
had  to  seek  a  home  elsewhere  in  the  city. 

Dr.  Boring  could  not  answer  all  the  calls  that  were  be- 
ing made  upon  him  to  visit  places  and  preach.  The  spirit 
was  willing,  but  the  flesh  was  weak.  His  sagacity  saw 
but  a  single  remedy,  and  that  was  to  issue  a  weekly  pa- 
per— a  silent  preacher  that  might  deliver  messages  of 
peace  and  hope  in  hundreds  of  homes  in  a  single  day. 
The  thought  grew  upon  him.  It  is  true  that  every 
thing  connected  with  printing  at  that  time  was  exceed- 
ingly costly.  But  the  people  could  be  reached  with  a 
paper.  Not  only  so,  but  it  would  serve  as  an  engine 
for  defense  against  the  attacks  of  numerous  enemies. 
The  matter  was  settled,  and  on  Jan.  5,  1852,  the  first 
number  of  the  Christian  Observer  was  issued.  It  sup- 
plied, in  part,  the  lack  of  ministerial  service. 

About  this  time  two  or  three  more  missionaries  ar- 
rived. The  paper  did  well  for  a  time,  being  ably  edit- 
ed by  Dr.  Boring  himself.  In  the  meantime,  one  of 
the  new  arrivals,  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Malone,  studied  the 
Spanish  language  with  all  the  fervor  of  his  ardent  nat- 
ure, and  soon  introduced  several  columns  in  the  Span- 
ish language  in  the  Observer.  This  was  intended  to 
reach  the  Spanish  population,  which  at  the  time  was 
very  numerous  in  certain  sections  of  the  State. 

The  paper  did  well  until,  finding  it  only  partially  sus- 
tained, it  was  thought  best  to  suspend  its  publication; 
and  so  at  the  San  Jose  Conference,  in  1S53,  Dr.  Boring 
made  a  full  report  before  the  Conference,  and  request- 
ed the  Conference  to  appoint  an  auditing  committee  to 
examine  the  books  ;  whereupon,  Messrs.  Breeden  and 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


49 


Horn,  both  laymen,  and  expert  book-keepers,  were  ap- 
pointed. They  examined  the  books  and  pronounced 
them  correct.  By  order  of  the  Conference,  Dr.  Boring 
issued  one  more  copy,  so  as  to  publish  a  list  of  the  ap- 
pointments and  the  principal  reports. 

We  cannot  refrain  in  this  connection  from  giving  in 
full  a  letter  from  the  pen  of  Bishop  James  O.  Andrew 
upon  the  receipt  of  the  first  number.  His  letter  was 
written  for  the  Southern  Christian  Advocate. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  CHRISTIAN  OBSERVER. 

Mr.  Editor: — A  few  days  since  I  was  very  agreeably  sur- 
prised to  receive  from  the  post-office  the  first  number  of  the  San 
Francisco  Christian  Observer.  Quite  a  clever  affair;  paper  good; 
typographical  execution  superior — indeed,  in  all  respects,  it  may 
compare  very  creditably  with  any  of  its  older  sisters  of  the  Advo- 
cate family.  This,  in  itself,  is  matter  of  great  gratification,  for  I 
hold  whenever  a  good  religious  paper  is  put  forth  into  circulation 
we  are  sending  forth  an  efficient  missionary  of  the  cause  of  truth 
and  peace.  But  I  regard  this  publication  as  peculiarly  full  of 
promise,  and  hail  its  appearance  as  the  indication  of  a  state  of 
things  in  California  which  justifies  the  hope  of  the  most  cheering 
results  from  our  missionary  efforts  in  that  quarter.  I  could  not 
look  upon  this  new  missionary  without  indulging  a  long  train  of 
reflections.  What  a  world  is  this!  what  a  country  is  ours!  and 
what  an  age  is  this  in  which  our  lots  have  been  cast!  What  was 
California  twenty  years  ago?  What  was  its  popmlation,  and  what 
its  prospects?  The  country  was  almost  a  terra  incognita,  regard- 
ed almost  valueless  in  an  agricultural  point  of  light;  its  mineral 
treasure  undreamed  of,  and  the  whole  land  looked  upon  as  too 
uninviting  ever  to  attract  much  population.  And  so  it  would 
probably  have  continued,  but  the  providence  of  God  ordered 
otherwise.  Under  Mexican  rule  it  would  probably  have  re- 
mained a  comparative  waste.  But  He  who  sitteth  King  above 
the  water-floods,  and  guideth  the  affairs  of  nations  even  when 
they  acknowledge  Him  not,  and  who  overrules  the  folly  and  the 
madness  of  individuals  and  of  nations  to  the  advancement  of  His 
4 


50  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

own  grand  designs,  threw  these  mountains  and  valleys,  with  all 
their  treasures,  into  the  hands  of  the  very  people  of  all  others 
best  qualified  to  develop  and  improve  their  resources. 

California  became  ours,  and  straightway  her  hills  and  valleys 
yielded  their  wealth  to  the  hands  of  enterprising  industry;  and 
while  her  rocks  and  mountains,  previously  regarded  bleak  and 
sterile,  were  pouring  forth  gold  in  tenfold  amounts,  and  attract- 
ing population  by  the  ten  thousand,  the  industrious  farmer  who 
turned  from  digging  the  shining  ore  to  seek  in  the  peaceful  and 
honest  employment  of  agriculture  remuneration  for  his  toils,  was 
astonished  to  find  himself  reaping  literally  a  hundred-fold. 

The  discovery  is  now  made  that  this  land,  once  esteemed 
nearly  worthless,  and  then  regarded  as  only  a  land  famous  for 
gold-dust,  is  destined  to  occupy  a  leading  position  among  the 
agricultural  States  of  the  world.  This  fact,  I  think,  affords 
ample  pledge  of  the  perpetuity  of  its  prosperity.  It  seems  but 
yesterday  that  our  gallant  troops  were  sweeping  all  before  them 
on  the  battle-fields  of  Mexico,  and  dictating  peace  from  the  halls 
of  the  Montezumas;  and  then  there  was  the  usual  amount  of  di- 
plomacy before  the  treaty  was  signed  which  made  California  ours; 
and  yet  though  all  these  events  seem  but  as  a  dream  of  j^ester- 
day,  the  stars  and  stripes  have  for  more  than  a  year  waved  over 
California  as  a  State  of  our  glorious  confederacy.  Our  laws, 
our  language,  our  institutions  triumph  throughout  a  long  line  of 
sea-coast  on  the  grand  ocean  of  oceans.  Our  commerce  whitens 
the  seas  and  harbors,  and  our  majestic  steamers,  in  rapidly  aug- 
menting numbers,  are  constantly  plowing  not  only  the  ocean 
wave,  but  are  threading  numerous  bays,  rivers,  and  inlets,  and 
opening  constantly  new  channels  for  trade  and  intercourse  to  the 
adventurous  population  which  is  so  rapidly  spreading  over  the 
whole  land.  Survey  the  map  of  California  as  it  was  ten  or  five 
vears  ago,  and  then  compare  the  past  with  the  present.  See 
cities  spring  up  in  a  week,  and  every  thing  else  going  forward  in 
the  same  ratio,  and  then  rub  your  eyes  and  look  again,  and  ask, 
Is  all  this  real,  or  is  it  enchantment? 

Bless  your  heart,  my  friend,  it  is  all  reality.  Here  is  a  nation 
almost  literally  born  in  a  day;  and  as  it  is  in  California,  a  month 
is  quite  enough  to  build  a  city. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  51 

But  we  turn  now  to  another  view  of  the  subject — one,  in  our 
judgment,  of  paramount  importance.  The  question  arises,  Has 
the  Church  kept  pace  with  the  movements  of  the  enterprising 
gold-seekers?  Has  she  made  efficient  arrangements  to  send  along 
with  the  overwhelming  tide  of  emigration  the  Bible,  the  ministry, 
and  the  sacraments  of  religion?  Indeed,  if  she  had  not,  Califor- 
nia would  be  a  sad  abode,  a  sort  of  depository  of  all  that  was 
vile  and  reckless  in  human  character.  Of  what  avail  would  laws 
be  in  a  community  thus  circumstanced?  Government  would  be 
a  nullity,  and  law  a  mockery;  for  where  there  is  no  recognition 
of  the  authority  and  claims  of  the  divine  law  in  the  minds  and 
consciences  of  a  community,  human  laws,  however  good,  will 
only  be  sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal.  The  prosperity 
and  the  perpetuity  of  the  civil  and  political  institutions  of  the 
country  depend  upon  the  hold  which  religion  has  upon  the  pub- 
lic mind  and  conscience.  We  are  glad  to  be  authorized  to  say 
that  the  Church  has  recognized  the  importance  of  these  views. 
The  Bible,  and  missionaries,  and  teachers  have  kept  pace  with  the 
advancing  wave  of  population.  The  inhabitants  of  the  rising 
cities  and  the  dwellers  at  the  mines  have  been  cared  for — per- 
haps not  to  the  extent  which  was  desirable,  but  still  the  Church 
has  done  much,  and  has  given  an  earnest  that  she  designs  to  at- 
tempt yet  greater  things.  I  rejoice  in  the  efforts  and  the  success 
of  every  evangelical  Church  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  the 
Saviour's  name  in  California;  good  luck  to  them  all  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord. 

The  Protestant  Churches  of  this  country  have  all,  we  believe, 
been  active  in  this  great  work;  but  as  we  are  not  specially  ad- 
vised of  what  others  have  done,  we  cannot,  of  course,  make  any 
distinct  references.  Our  Northern  brethren  preceded  us  in  the 
attempt  to  build  up  the  house  of  the  Lord  in  California,  and  God 
has  crowned  their  labors  with  marked  success.  It  is  not  quite 
two  years  since  our  beloved  Boring,  Pollock,  and  Wynn  landed  in 
San  Francisco.  They  entered  promptly  upon  their  work,  and 
earnestly  begged  for  more  laborers.  Unfortunately,  that  appeal 
was  responded  to  very  slowly  and  imperfectly,  and  we  left  them 
for  a  time  to  struggle  with  discouragements  and  despondency; 
but  they  nobly  stood  to  their  posts  till  help  came,  and  their  hearts 


C2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

were  cheered  by  the  strong  assurance  of  a  large  additional  re- 
inforcement to  aid  them  in  their  great  work.  In  a  few  days  they 
will  organize  the  Pacific  Conference.  This  Conference  will 
number  probably  about  twenty  preachers,  some  of  them  proba- 
tioners, but  all  ordained  ministers,  and  men  of  some  experience. 
May  we  not  hope  that,  under  God,  they  will  reap  a  rich  harvest? 
Thus  in  two  years  a  thriving  Annual  Conference  has  sprung  up, 
announcing  its  abilitv  and  its  willingness  to  sustain  itself,  and  I 
confidently  anticipate  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  Pacific 
Conference  will  be  ahead  of  her  sisters  in  hearing  and  respond- 
ing to  the  Macedonian  cry  which  shall  come  up  from  the  count- 
less islands  of  the  Pacific,  as  well  as  from  China,  and  all  the 
lands  adjacent.  Indeed,  I  am  more  persuaded  that  the  Church 
in  California  is,  under  God,  the  destined  nursery  for  missionaries 
who  are  to  carry  the  gospel  to  half  the  heathen  world.  A  brief 
glance  at  the  map  will  convince  us  that  San  Francisco  is  the 
grand  point  of  departure  for  operations  in  the  regions  indicated 
above.  Commercial  intercourse,  which  is  already  so  extensively 
operating,  is  daily  advancing  with  giant  strides,  and  is  destined  to 
herald  to  people  yet  scarcely  known  the  principles,  and  customs, 
and  laws  of  the  most  energetic  and  enterprising  nation  on  the 
globe.  New  lines  of  steam  communication  are  in  contempla- 
tion, some  of  them  destined  to  bring  within  a  few  years  nations 
the  most  diverse  and  remote  into  neighborhood  and  friendly  in- 
tercourse. At  the  rate  things  are  now  moving  on,  the  next  ten 
years  will  develop  the  most  astounding  results  of  the  enterprise 
of  American  Protestant  Christianity.  I  know  not  that  we  shall 
ever  annex  Central  America  or  Mexico,  but  we  shall  certainly 
Anglo-Americanize  th?m.  Our  trade,  our  literature,  our  laws 
will  have  the  public  mind  and  heart.  Education  will  gradually 
diffuse  itself  among  the  people.  Freedom  of  the  press  will  be 
established.  Ecclesiastical  despotism  and  sacerdotal  corruption 
will  have  to  yield  to  the  decision  of  an  enlightened  and  purified 
public  sentiment.  Liberty  of  conscience,  the  great  fundamental 
principle  of  all  free  government,  will  be  established.  The  gos- 
pel, in  purity  and  power,  shall  claim  its  subjects  in  all  these 
lands,  and  upon  them  all  shall  the  Lord  of  hosts  turn  a  pure 
lansruasrc. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


53 


Now,  the  position  of  California  gives  it  a  most  prominent  and 
influential  part  to  enact  in  the  future  pages  of  the  world's  history. 
It  must  be  so;  and  it  becomes  the  Church  to  apply  herself  sedu- 
lously to  the  task  of  preparing  the  proper  instrumentalities  for 
the  accomplishment  of  purposes  grand  and  lofty,  in  conception 
far-reaching,  and,  possibly,  as  the  world  may  deem,  daring  in  its 
operations.  The  fact  is,  the  heathen  world  must  have  the  Bible 
and  the  preachers.  More  than  two-thirds  of  the  world's  heathen- 
ism can  be  more  directly  affected  from  California  than  from  anv 
other  point.  The  enterprising  dwellers  there  are  the  very  men 
for  the  work — bold,  adventurous — the  men  for  hardships  and  pri- 
vations. Let  them  be  soundly  converted  to  God,  and  you  have 
such  an  army  of  missionaries  as  can  be  produced  nowhere  else. 
And  then,  too,  almost  all  these  nations  have  more  or  less  repre- 
sentatives in  the  land  of  gold.  Will  not  some  of  these  be  con- 
verted to  God?  Certainly,  if  they  are  properly  cared  for,  they 
will.  O  let  the  Church  in  California  be  so  deeply  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel  that  these  pagans  may  see  the  true  type 
of  Christianity  in  the  conduct  of  California  Christians!  But, 
Mr.  Editor,  I  have  given  you  a  long  ramble  over  the  continents 
and  islands,  and  must  not  tire  your  readers  with  any  thing  far- 
ther for  the  present,  except  to  say,  Take  the  Christian  Observer, 
and  if  the  cost  is  too  much  for  one,  let  two  or  three  unite  and 
order  a  copy.  It  will  be  a  pleasant  visitor,  and  you  will  be  aid- 
ing in  a  most  important  enterprise.  James  O.   Andrew. 

The  price  of  the  Observer  was  five  dollars. 


54  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   II. 

IN  September,  185 1,  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Malone  and  W. 
m  R.  Gober,  the  former  from  Tennessee,  the  latter 
iJk  from  Louisiana,  reached  California,  sent  out  by  the 
Missionary  Board.  These  were  the  first-fruits  of  what 
was  known  as  the  "Thousand-Dollar  Proposition." 

Malone  was  sent  to  Sonora,  and  Gober  to  Sacra- 
mento. Soon  after  this  the  proposition  made  on  the 
15th  of  April,  1 85 1,  began  to  bring  forth  more  fruit. 
Many  of  the  Conferences  acted  upon  it,  raised  the 
$1,000,  and'sent  out  the  man.  The  next  to  arrive  was 
the  Rev.  J.  F.  Blythe,  of  the  Memphis  Conference. 
He  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Bailey,  of  the 
Kentucky;  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Fulton,  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina; the  Rev.  Morris  Evans,  of  the  Kentucky;  the 
Rev.  W.  A.  Simmons  and  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Simmons,  of 
the  Georgia;  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Leyne  and  the  Rev.  E.  B. 
Lockley,  of  the  Alabama;  the  Rev.  S.  W.  Davies  and 
the  Rev.  J.  W.  Kelly,  of  the  South  Carolina;  and  the 
Rev.  John  Matthews,  of  the  Tennessee  Conferences. 
These  all  reached  California  before  the  organization  of 
the  Pacific  Conference,  except  the  last  mentioned.  A 
number  of  these  came  in  time  to  do  several  months' 
work  before  Conference.  Such  were  sent  on  their  ar- 
rival by  Dr.  Boring  to  the  places  he  saw  proper. 

On  the  15th  day  of  April,  1852,  at  10  o'clock  a.m., 
at  the  call  of  Dr.  Boring,  the  brethren  above  named 
met  in  Wesley  Chapel,  Powell  Street,  San  Francisco. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  55 

Dr.  Jesse  Boring,  Superintendent  of  the  Mission, 
opened  the  meeting  by  reading  the  91st  Psalm  and 
singing  the  hymn  so  familiar  to  us  all,  "And  are  we 
yet  alive?"  at  the  close  of  which  prayer  was  offered  by 
W.  R.  Gober  and  A.  M.  Bailey. 

The  Superintendent  then  appointed  W.  R.  Gober 
Secretary  -pro  tcm.,  who  proceeded  to  call  the  roll, 
whereupon  the  following  brethren  answered  to  their 
names  —  viz.:  Jesse  Boring,  A.  M.  Wynn,  Cyprian 
Gridley,  W.  R.  Gober,  J.  S.  Malone,  J.  F.  Blythe,  A. 
M.  Bailey,  J.  M.  Fulton,  Morris  Evans,  W.  A.  Sim- 
mons, J.  C.  Simmons,  D.  B.  Leyne,  E.  B.  Lockley,  S. 
W.  Davies,  J.  W.  Kelly. 

The  Superintendent  announced  the  action  of  the 
General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  held  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
May,  1850,  in  which  it  was  provided  that  an  Annual 
Conference,  in  case  the  Bishop  thought  it  best,  should 
be  organized  in  California,  and  instructions  from  Bish- 
op Paine  to  proceed,  at  the  meeting  of  the  mission- 
aries in  Wesley  Chapel  on  the  15th  of  April,  1852,  to 
the  organization  under  said  provisions;  whereupon  the 
Conference  was  declared  duly  organized,  and  com- 
posed of  the  following  members — viz.:  Jesse  Boring, 

D.  W.  Pollock,  A.  M.  Wynn,  W.  R.  Gober,  J.  S.  Ma- 
lone, J.  F.  Blythe,  A.  M.  bailey,  J.  M.  Fulton,  Morris 
Evans,  W.  A.  Simmons,  J.  C.  Simmons,  D.  B.  Leyne, 

E.  B.  Lockley,  S.  W.  Davies,  J.  W.  Kelly,  A.  Graham, 
J.  M.  Jones,  John  Matthews. 

A.  M.  Wynn  was  elected  Secretary,  and  W.  R.  Go- 
ber, Assistant  Secretary. 

The  President  made  some  remarks  upon  the  past 
history  of  the  Mission,  when  Morris  Evans  and  J.   F. 


56  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Blythe  offered  a  resolution  that  "our  Conference  shall 
assume  and  be  known  by  the  name  of  the  Pacific  An- 
nual Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,"  which  was  unanimously  adopted 

We  at  once  went  forward  with  the  regular  work  of 
a  full  -  fledged  Annual  Conference.  Committees  on 
Education,  Books  and  Periodicals,  Finance,  Preachers' 
Aid  Society,  Missions,  Sunday-schools,  Bible  Cause, 
and  Public  Worship,  were  appointed.  Provision  was 
also  made  for  a  Pastoral  Address. 

Thus  was  organized  the  first  Methodist  Annual  Con- 
ference west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Our  organiza- 
tion preceded  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
(North)  by  several  months.  Although  this  Confer- 
ence was  composed  of  men  from  so  many  of  the  States, 
men  that  had  never  seen  each  other  before,  yet  so  ho- 
mogeneous is  the  system  of  Methodism  that  from  the 
moment  of  organization  no  one  could  have  known  but 
that  they  had  been  always  together  in  Conference 
work. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Conference,  when  it 
entered  upon  that  distinctive  work  peculiar  to  Meth- 
odism, was  to  investigate  a  case  in  which  a  member 
of  the  Conference  had  hopelessly  involved  himself 
and  the  Church  in  debt  —  the  Rev.  C.  Gridley.  A 
committee  was  appointed  in  his  case,  and  after  careful 
investigation  as  to  acts  and  motives,  they  could  find  no 
deliberate  wrong-doing,  but  a  very  great  lack  of  judg- 
ment in  the  management  of  his  affairs;  and  that  he 
might  have  an  opportunity  to  redeem  himself  and  save 
the  credit  of  the  Church,  a  resolution  was  passed  that 
"  C.  Gridley  be  left  without  an  appointment,  at  his  own 
request,  that  he  may  employ  his  time  in  liquidating  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  57 

debts  incurred  by  him  in  building  a  church  in  Stock- 
ton." Thus  these  brethren,  while  jealous  of  the  honor 
and  purity  of  the  Church,  were  tenderly  considerate 
of  their  brother,  and  every  opportunity  was  given  him 
to  remove  any  blot  that  might  seem  to  attach  either  to 
himself  or  the  Church. 

This  Conference  seemed  to  be  fully  alive  to  the  edu- 
cational wants  of  the  State,  and  their  plans  were  large 
and  far -reach  in  2f.  Provision  was  made  for  a  college 
and  foitr  high-schools. 

It  is  a  matter  of  deep  regret  that  the  report  on  edu- 
cation, as  well  as  all  other  reports,  was  "placed  on  file," 
and  is  lost.  We  are  therefore  left  to  draw  upon  mem- 
ory for  the  preservation  of  these  facts. 

Their  plans  laid  were  broad  and  far-reaching.  They 
stood  on  the  borders  of  the  field  that  lav  with  inviting 
whiteness  before  them.  The  ringing  call  of  their  Di- 
vine Master  that  had  thrust  them  out  from  their  homes 
of  ease  and  luxury  to  this,  the  hardest  field  in  the 
Church,  was  still  resounding  in  their  ears,  and  it  fired 
their  hearts  to  undertake  all  that  they  could  possibly 
hope  to  accomplish.  They  felt  called  of  God  to  this 
work,  and  they  planned  accordingly.  In  the  report 
full  Boards  of  Trustees  were  provided  for,  and  the  Con- 
ference proceeded  to  fill  them.  Nine  were  elected  for 
the  college,  nine  for  each  of  the  high-schools,  to  be  lo- 
cated at  San  Francisco,  San  Jose,  Sacramento,  and 
Stockton.  Two  of  the  latter  were  already  in  opera- 
tion— the  one  at  San  Jose  and  the  one  at  Sacramento. 
Two  whole  blocks  in  what  is  now  the  heart  of  the  city 
of  San  Jose  had  been  donated  by  James  Reed,  one  of 
them  on  condition  that  a  perpetual  scholarship  in  music 
be  secured  to  his  family.     This  school  was  called  Bas- 


58  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

com  Institute,  and  for  many  years  was  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mrs.  Ruth  C.  Hammond,  a  very  accom- 
plished and  able  teacher.  We  shall  have  more  to  say 
of  this  school  in  future  pages  of  this  history. 

The  Rev.  W.  R.  Gober,  who  had  been  placed  in 
charge  of  Sacramento  Station  the  year  before  the  or- 
ganization of  our  Conference,  had  started  a  school  in 
that  city,  and  it  was  at  this  time  in  successful  opera- 
tion. This  school,  by  formal  resolution,  was  received 
and  provided  for  by  the  Conference. 

When  the  regular  disciplinary  questions  were  called, 
the  preachers  who  had  been  at  work  in  the  various 
fields  to  which  they  had  been  appointed  were  ready  to 
respond. 

J.  S.  Malone  had  been  laboring  on  the  Columbia 
Mission,  near  Sonora,  in  Tuolumne  County.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  energy,  and  had  found  several  men  within 
the  bounds  of  his  work  who  were  preachers,  and  he 
had  secured  their  recommendations  to  the  Annual  Con- 
ference; and  when  Question  1  was  called — "What 
preachers  are  admitted  on  trial?" — he  first  "presented 
the  recommendation  from  the  Quarterly  Conference  of 
the  Columbia  Mission  of  W.  H.  Long,  to  be'  received 
into  the  traveling  connection  of  the  Pacific  Annual 
Conference.  Brother  Long's  credentials  from  the 
Congregational  Church,  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber and  a  minister,  and  from  which  he  comes,  were 
then  read  to  the  Conference,  as  also  were  two  letters  of 
recommendation.  And  he,  after  satisfactorily  answer- 
ing before  the  body  the  disciplinary  questions  pro- 
pounded, made  some  remarks  appropriate  to  his  case, 
and  on  motion  of  Brother  Gober  he  was  by  a  rising 
vote  unanimously  received  as  an  Elder  of  the  Meth- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


59 


odist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  good  standing. 
Brother  Malone  moved  to  receive  Brother  Long  into 
the  traveling  connection  on  trial  in  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence, which  was  carried.  It  was  then  moved  by 
Brother  Gober  to  reconsider  the  vote  by  which  Brother 
Long  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Conference,  and  it 
was  carried.  And  on  motion  of  Brother  D.  B.  Leyne, 
W.  H.  Long  was  admitted  as  a  traveling  preacher  in 
full  connection  in  the  Pacific  Conference." 

We  have  quoted  these  items  and  motions  from  the 
Minutes  of  the  Conference  just  as  we  find  them. 

This  case  reveals  a  strange  chapter  in  our  early  his- 
tory. And  while  in  the  end  this  matter  amounted  to 
very  little,  yet  it  is  necessary  to  bring  out  these  facts  to 
show  the  estimate  put  upon  the  labors  and  designs  of 
our  Church  at  that  early  day.  The  history  of  this  case 
stands  out  as  prominently  in  our  memory  as  any  other 
fact  connected  with  that  memorable  Conference.  And 
no  other  man  of  our  Conference  ever  got  at  the  secret 
history  of  this  man  as  did  the  writer  of  this. 

W.  H.  Long  came  to  us  with  credentials  ostensibly 
from  the  Congregational  Church  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
sought  out  J.  S.  Malone,  and  proposed  to  him  to  unite 
with  our  Church  and  take  work  among  us.  As  shown, 
he  was  regularly  recommended  to  the  Conference,  and 
the  first  action  was  to  receive  him  "  on  trial  into  the 
traveling  connection."  When  the  vote  was  taken, 
Long  objected  to  it.  He  wanted  to  be  received  into 
full  connection.  He  claimed  that  he  was  "in  full  con- 
nection" in  his  own  Church,  and  that  he  was  entitled 
to  occupy  the  same  position  when  he  came  to  us.  We 
explained  to  him  that  he  would  be  in  the  same  orders 
among  us — that  of  an  elder — but  that  even  our  elders, 


Go  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

when  they  joined  the  traveling  connection,  had  to  re- 
main  two  years  "on  trial;"   that  this  was  not  giving 
him  a  lower  position,  in  the  Church,  but  that  the  rules 
of  our  Discipline  required  this  of  every  man  that  joined 
the  itinerancy.     He  gave  us  clearly  to  understand  that 
unless  we   received   him   into  full  connection  he  would 
withdraw    his    application  entirely.     What    were    we 
to  do?     We  were  greatly   in   need   of  men,   and  here 
was  one  that  seemed  peculiarly  adapted  to  our  work — 
a  man  of  intelligence  and  culture,  who  was   ready   to 
enter  the  field  with  us.      Should  we  reject  him  on  what 
seemed  to  some  a  technicality?     Some  were  for  stand- 
ing by  the  law  at  all  hazards.     Just  then  Judge  D.  O. 
Shattuck,  an  old   preacher  and  a  lawyer  besides,  ex- 
plained the  matter  in  this  way:   We  had  an  itinerant 
system,  the  Congregationalists  had   not.      In  his  own 
Church  Brother  Long  could  work  anywhere  the  Church 
required.      Now,  when  he  came   to  us,  he  ought  to  be 
received  and  placed  by  us  in  the  same  relation  to  our 
Church  that  he  sustained  in  his  own — that  is,  in  "full 
connection."     This  speech  determined  the  Conference, 
and   he  was   taken  into  full  connection.     This  relation 
did   not  last  long.     At  the  next  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence, in  answer  to  the   question,  Who  have  been  ex- 
pelled  from   the  Connection  this  year?  the   record   is: 
"By  a  subsequent  action  of  the   Conference,  W.   H. 
Long  was  expelled  from  all  connection  with  the  Con- 
ference, and    from    the    communion    of   the    Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South."     He  claimed  to  have  a  wife 
in  the  East  for  whom  he  wished  to  go,  and  he  not  only 
got  the  permission  of  the  Conference  to  do  so,  but  got 
an  appropriation  of  several  hundred  dollars  with  which 
to  defray  his  expenses.     But  early  in  the  year  he  was 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  6i 

overtaken  in  unministerial  and  unchristian  conduct,  and 
was  expelled. 

Some  eight  years  after  we  were  on  our  way  to  a 
camp-meeting  in  the  lower  end  of  the  San  Francisco 
District,  when  we  overtook  him  on  his  way  to  the  same 
meeting.  He  was  introduced  to  us  as  Dr.  Ives.  He 
expressed  himself  as  desirous  of  joining  the  Church. 
During  the  meeting  we  took  him  aside  and  asked  him 
the  question:   "Do  you  think  we  do  not  know  you?" 

His  answer  was:   "I  know  you  are  not  a  fool." 

"Now,  what  is  your  name?" 

"W.  H.  Ives."  ' 

"Then  W.  H.  Loiig:  was  an  assumed  name,  was  it?" 

"It  was." 

"Were  you  a  minister  in  good  standing1  in  the  Con- 
gregational  Church  when  you  came  to  us?" 

"I  was." 

"Were  your  credentials  genuine?" 

"They  were." 

"Then  if  your  name  is  Ives,  how  was  it  that  the  name 
of  Long  was  attached  to  your  credentials?" 

For  a  moment  his  self-possession  seemed  to  forsake 
him.  He  abandoned  hope  of  farther  deception,  and 
after  admitting  that  these  credentials  were  supplied  to 
him  for  a  purpose,  and  that  that  purpose  was  connected 
with  the  great  question  of  Abolitionism  that  was  stir- 
ring society  to  its  center,  he  referred  me  to  a  mutual 
friend,  who,  he  said,  would  explain  the  whole  matter 
to  me. 

The  secret  of  his  whole  movement  was  this:  It  was 
thought  by  many  in  the  North  that  when  our  Church 
sent  its  missionaries  to  California,  it  was  to  try  and 
make  a  slave   State  of  it,  and  this  man  Long  was  sent 


62  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

to  us  as  a  spy;  and  to  effect  his  purpose  the  more  surely, 
he  was  furnished  with  these  credentials,  with  which  he 
could  get  into  our  most  secret  councils.  This  ac- 
counted for  the  persistence  in  his  effort  to  get  into  full 
connection  in  the  Conference.  To  the  well-informed 
this  will  seem,  as  it  is,  a  trivial  affair,  and  yet  it  is  a 
fact  of  history  that  shows  to  what  enemies  we  were 
exposed. 

J.  S.  Malone  also  presented  the  recommendation  of 
A.  Minear.  This  brother  had  been  a  member  of  an 
Eastern  Conference,  and  was  under  a  cloud.  His  cre- 
dentials had  been  taken  from  him,  but  he  had  been 
relicensed,  and  was  making  application  to  our  body 
by  way  of  recommendation  of  the  Columbia  Mission. 
He  was  received  on  trial,  and  a  resolution  passed,  by 
which  the  Conference  requested  Brother  Minear  "to 
ask  of  his  former  Conference  a  restoration  to  him  of 
his  credentials  and  former  standing."  During  the  year 
this  brother  showed  that  there  was  something  radically 
wrong  with  him.  Again  a  cloud  settled  about  him,  and 
at  the  ensuing  Conference  he  was  discontinued. 

The  third  recommendation  came  from  J.  S.  Malone's 
work,  the  Columbia  Mission,  in  the  person  of  the  Rev. 
M.  M.  Moore.  He  was  also  received,  and  while  there 
was  nothing  against  this  brother,  yet  at  the  next  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference  he  was  also  discontinued. 
This  brother  was  a  most  lovable,  ST^eet-spirited  man. 
A  few  years  after  this  he  lost  his  sight.  And  a  short 
time  ago  he  told  us  he  had  never  enjoyed  himself  in 
any  other  Church  as  he  had  in  ours;  that  while  his 
location  within  the  bounds  of  the  other  branch  of 
Methodism  had  necessitated  his  connection  with  them, 
he  had  always  felt  that  his  heart  was  with  us.     He  is 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  63 

still  preaching,  and  is  happy  in  the  love  of  God,  and 
preparing  to  get  to  that  land  where  no  dimness  falls 
upon  the  sight. 

Steps  were  taken  at  this  Conference  to  provide  for 
the  aid  of  disabled  preachers,  and  the  education  of 
preachers'  children. 

The  earnestness  with  which  these  brethren  entered 
upon  the  labors  of  the  Conference  may  be  seen  by  the 
following: 

Two  resolutions  were  introduced  by  Brothers  Bailey  and 
Evans,  viz.: 

Resolved,  1.  That  we  request  the  president  to  appoint  brethren 
to  preach  on  the  following  subjects  before  this  Conference  at  its 
next  session,  viz.:  The  Ministry,  Education,  and  Missions. 

2.  That  we  observe  the  Friday  previous  to  next  Christmas  as 
a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  that  we  hold  religious  worship 
in  our  congregations  on  that  day. 

Which  were  both  adopted. 

Later  in  the  session,  the  sainted  Fulton  offered  the 
following,   which  was  also  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  we  observe  the  last  Friday  in  May  as  a  dav 
of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  God  may  revive  his  work  in  our 
midst,  and  more  especially  that  he  call  and  send  forth  more  la- 
borers into  his  vineyard,  and  particularly  in  this  part. 

Men  who  entered  upon  their  work  with  such  reso- 
lutions bearing  upon  their  hearts  were  the  men  to 
succeed  in  planting  the  Church  of  their  love  firmly  in 
this  new  soil. 

The  thoughtful  Blythe,  looking  to  the  very  day  in 
which  we  are  feeling  about  for  the  material  to  write 
the  history  of  Southern  Methodism,  and  of  the  men 
who,  under  God,  planted  the  standard  of  our  Church 
on  this  coast,  introduced  the  following  resolution: 


64  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

* 

Resolved,  That  each  member  of  this  Conference  furnish  to 
the  secretary  at  his  earliest  convenience  a  short  biographical 
sketch  of  his  life  up  to  the  organization  of  the  Pacific  Annual 
Conference,  to  be  filed  with  the  Conference  papers. 

If  these  biographical  sketches  were  ever  "filed," 
they  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  "  Conference  papers," 
and  are  nowhere  to  be  found. 

While  we  are  on  the  subject  of  resolutions,  let  us  say 
that  our  "spy,"  W.  H.  Long,  came  in  with  one  to  the 
effect  "that  the  Presiding  Elder  and  the  preachers  in 
San  Francisco  be  appointed  a  committee,  with  the 
Superintendent,  to  publish  in  pamphlet  form  the  decis- 
ion of  Judge  Nelson,  together  with  a  succinct  account 
of  the  cause  of  the  division  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  of  the  state  and  relation  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  California,  in  all  its 
bearings" — which  was  adopted. 

"The  decision  of  Judge  Nelson,"  referred  to,  was 
the  decision  in  which  the  Church,  South,  was  given 
her  share  of  the  common  fund  owned  by  the  Church 
at  the  division,  and  which  was  withheld  by  the  Church 
(North),  although  this  division  was  solemnly  agreed 
to  in  the  "Plan  of  Separation."  Our  opponents  were 
constantly  misrepresenting  us  and  our  position.  We 
were  branded  as  a  "pro-slavery  Church,"  as  a  "seces- 
sion," and  as  having  no  right  to  an  ecclesiastical  exist- 
ence, especially  on  this  coast.  It  was  thought  that  this 
"decision,"  which  not  only  gave  us  a  legal  right  to  our 
share  of  the  property,  but  also  vindicated  our  claim  to 
a  separate  Church  organization,  with  the  accompanying 
"  succinct  account  of  the  cause  of  the  division,  and  of 
the  state  and  relation  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,    South,    in    California,"   would    do  us    good; 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  6; 

and  whatever  may  have  been  the  motive  of  Long  in 
offering  the  resolution,  it  was  just  what  we  wanted. 
This  pamphlet  was  issued  as  provided  for,  and  was  an 
invaluable  auxiliary  in  setting  us  right  before  the  peo- 
ple. 

For  years  we  had  to  fight  our  way  in  whatever 
community  we  endeavored  to  establish  our  Church; 
and  even  after  a  life  of  a  third  of  a  century,  after  plant- 
ing our  forces  in  all  parts  of  the  State  of  California, 
after  enriching  our  State  with  more  than  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  Church  property,  after  hav- 
ing educated  a  generation  of  men  and  women,  we  are 
even  now  asked  why  we  are  here,  and  what  is  the  use 
of  our  Church,  and  especially  since  slavery  has  been 
abolished. 

In  closing  the  record  of  this  memorable  Conference, 
we  think  it  eminently  appropriate  to  give  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  men  who  composed  it.  And  as  was  the  case 
in  writing  the  history  of  the  Conference  business,  we 
had  to  rely  mainly  upon  our  memory,  so  now.  If  the 
"biographical  sketches"  provided  for  were  ever  writ- 
ten, they  are  not  in  the  possession  of  the  present  writer. 

The  Rev.  Jesse  Boring,  D.D.,  was  a  Georgian  by 
birth.  He  commenced  the  work  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try at  an  early  period  in  life.  He  was  an  orator  of  the 
highest  type.  Always  at  ease  in  the  pulpit,  he  never 
lost  command  of  his  voice.  Although  of  a  nervous 
temperament,  yet  so  evenly  balanced  was  he  that  he 
was  ever  able  to  hide  any  trepidation  that  sometimes 
took  possession  of  him  on  great  occasions.  He  was 
modest  and  diffident  to  a  fault;  never  pushed  his  way 
to  prominence  or  position.  Whatever  of  honors — and 
they  are  many — that  have  been  bestowed  upon  him  dur- 
5 


66  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ing  his  long  and  useful  life,  were  put  upon  him  by 
his  brethren  unasked.  Slow  and  deliberate  in  the  un- 
folding of  any  grand  gospel  theme  that  engaged  his 
heart  and  attention,  he  held  his  audience  steadily,  sure- 
ly. There  was  that  in  manner  and  voice  that  could 
but  arrest  and  rivet  attention.  Gradually  rising  with 
His  theme,  he  did  not  startle  by  any  abruptness  of 
flight,  but  like  an  eagle,  who  held  the  advantage  of  a 
lofty  position  on  some  beetling  crag,  he  floatedtoff  and 
began  to  soar  to  loftier  heights.  At  times,  when  every 
heart  had  been  strained  upward  by  his  quiet  but  steady 
eloquence,  he  would  startle  them  by  some  burst  grand- 
er, more  brilliant  than  any  that  had  preceded  it,  like 
the  sudden  flash  of  lightning  on  the  bosom  of  a  ma- 
jestic storm-cloud  riding  on  the  wings  of  a  tempest. 
Then  again  peal  would  follow  peal  in  reverberating  ac- 
cents until  the  effect  was  almost  painful.  His  descrip- 
tive powers  were  wonderful.  When  he  presented  a 
picture  you  saw  it.  You  felt  all  he  felt,  heard  all  he 
heard,  and,  like  him,  you  were  lost  to  all  save  the  life- 
like panorama  that  moved  in  stateliness  before  you. 

It  is  said  on  one  occasion,  while  describing  the  grad- 
ual yet  awful  doom  of  the  sinner,  as  he  drew  ever 
nearer  the  final  undoing,  he  pictured,  in  illustration,  a 
ship  in  the  maelstrom's  awful  whirl.  Riding  in  mid- 
ocean,  it  was  caught  in  the  first  eddying  circle  of  the 
whirlpool.  Its  course  was  changed;  the  masts  bent, 
and  round  and  round  the  creaking  vessel  swept,  each 
circle  less  than  the  last.  So  vivid  was  the  description 
that  a  gentleman  in  the  congregation  rose  unconsciously 
from  his  seat  and  stood,  hat  in  hand,  gazing  intently  at 
every  movement  of  the  speaker  as  if  he  were  looking 
upon  the  reeling  ship.      On  and  on  swept  the  speaker  in 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  67 

his  description — the  now  helpless  ship  the  play-thing 
of  the  yawning,  funneled  gulf,  until  at  last  the  whole 
went  down  into  the  seething,  bubbling,  foam-lashed 
sea,  when  the  gentleman  broke  the  stillness  that  fol- 
lowed the  speaker's  last  utterance  with  the  exclama- 
tion, "My  God,  she's  gone!"  His  power  over  an  au- 
dience, when  fully  aroused,  was  marvelous. 

Before  coming  to  California  he  filled  the  most  im- 
portant stations  in  the  Georgia  Conference,  and  had 
the  most  unbounded  confidence  of  his  brethren.  On 
his  return  they  received  him  with  open  arms,  and 
though  now  far  advanced  in  life,  is  going  in  and  out, 
filling  districts  and  stations,  as  if  he  knew  not  what 
weariness  and  age  were.  He  fills  a  large  space  in  the 
past  and  present  history  of  the  Georgia  Conference. 
He  is  now  connected  with  the  North  Georgia  Confer- 
ence, and  is  presiding  elder  of  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant districts.  The  Church  above,  where  only  the  true 
record  of  a  man's  labors  are  kept,  alone  will  show  how 
valuable  have  been  his  labors  below. 

Alexander  M.  Wynn  was  born  in  Charleston,  S  C, 
Jan.  20,  1S27.  Losing  his  parents  at  an  early  age,  he 
was  raised  by  Bishop  J.  O.  Andrew,  to  whom  he  was 
related.  In  such  a  home  he  was  trained  for  God,  and 
every  advantage  of  an  education  was  given  him.  He 
was  class-mate  in  college  of  Albert  Gray,  Joseph  S. 
Key,  J.  C.  Simmons,  Luther  Smith,  and  James  Palmer 
— all  of  whom  were  preachers.  The  first  three,  with 
him,  were  licensed  to  preach  the  same  day.  He  stood 
high  in  his  class,  and  in  deportment  was  above  re- 
proach. He  was  greatly  beloved  by  the  entire  class. 
He  joined  the  Church,  September,  1844,  but  was  not 
converted   until  September,  1845.      He  was  licensed  to 


6S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

preach,  August,  1848,  and  joined  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence, January,  1849.  ^e  was  a  g°°d,  systematic 
preacher — grew  in  power  as  he  grew  in  years.  He  was 
appointed  the  first  year  of  his  ministry  to  the  Atlanta 
and  Decatur  Circuit,  where  he  labored  ten  months,  and 
then  received  his  appointment  to  the  California  Mis- 
sion. Of  his  labors  in  California  we  have  spoken  else- 
where. No  man  at  that  early  day  did  more  successful 
work  for  our  Church  than  he,  Frail  in  body,  yet  en- 
dued with  an  energy  that  tided  him  over  difficulties 
great  and  small,  he  has  left  his  mark  indelibly  on  the 
history  of  our  Church  on  the  Pacific.  His  heart  has 
ever  been  with  us.  Though  prevented  from  returning 
in  1854  by  a  severe  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  yet  by 
care  he  has  prolonged  his  life,  and  has  been  able  to  do 
good  and  efficient  work  in  the  North  Georgia  Confer- 
ence to  the  present. 

David  W.  Pollock,  though  not  present  at  the  mem- 
orable roll-call,  April  15,  1852,  when  the  Pacific  Con- 
ference was  organized,  yet  as  he  had  come  as  one  of 
our  first  missionaries,  we  give  him  a  place.  Of  his  early 
history  we  know  but  little.  He  was  admitted  on  trial 
in  the  Missouri  Conference,  at  Palmyra,  in  1841.  He 
remained  in  this  Conference,  filling  stations  and  circuits 
year  after  year,  until  1849,  when  he  was  appointed  by 
Bishop  Paine  missionary  to  California,  and  came  with 
Dr.  J.  Boring  and  A.  M.  Wynn.  He  held  his  connec- 
tion with  this  Conference  till  1852,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Alabama  Conference,  where  he  died  a 
short  time  after. 

Cyprian  Gridley  was  born  in  Washington  County, 
Ohio,  Nov.  23,  1816;  joined  the  Church  in  his  tenth 
year,  but  was  not  converted  until  the  following  vear. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  69 

He  removed  to  Mississippi  in  1836,  and  obtained  li- 
cense to  exhort  in  1838.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  same  year.  In  1842  he  was  received  on  trial  in  the 
Mississippi  Conference;  transferred  to  the  Louisiana 
Conference  in  1846.  He  started  to  California,  May  15, 
1S50,  and  reached  San  Francisco  the  following  July. 
Brother  Gridley  was  a  quiet,  lovable  man.  He  was 
exceedingly  sanguine  in  his  temperament,  and  hence 
was  often  led  beyond  his  depth  in  financial  matters. 
Owing  to  financial  troubles  and  involvement  his  useful- 
ness was  greatly  hindered  in  California.  But  amid  all 
his  troubles  his  brethren  never  for  one  moment  doubt- 
ed his  integrity.  He  died  some  few  years  ago  in  the 
State  of  Missouri.     His  end  was  peace. 

William  R.  Gober  was  born  in  De  Kalb  County, 
Georgia,  April  25,  1S24.  He  was  born  of  Methodist 
parents,  and  surrounded  with  religious  influences  from 
infancy;  was  converted  and  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  his  eleventh  year.  He  was  licensed 
to  preach  and  recommended  to  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence November  2,  1844.  In  December  of  the  same 
year  he  was  received  on  trial.  His  first  circuit  was 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  circumference.  He  was 
junior  preacher.  About  four  hundred  were  added  to 
the  Church  that  year. 

In  1850  he  was  stationed  in  Moreau  Street  Church, 
New  Orleans.  The  year  before  he  had  been  in  the 
midst  of  the  cholera.  For  months  he  was  busy  visiting 
the  sick  and  burying  the  dead,  but  he  stood  to  his  post 
of  duty.  He  was  afterward  made  presiding  elder. 
In  185 1,  soon  after  marriage,  he  was  appointed  mis- 
sionary to  California,  and  sailed  from  New  Orleans  on 
July  28,  and  landed  in  San  Francisco  on  August  29. 


70  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

He  was  sent  at  once  to  Sacramento.  All  that  we 
had  in  that  city  was  a  lot  with  a  small  frame  building, 
so  long  closed  that  it  was  covered  with  dust  and  cob- 
webs, mortgaged  for  two  thousand  dollars,  and  drawing 
interest  at  three  per  cent,  per  month.  There  were  a 
few  who  acknowledged  themselves  as  members. 

The  flood  came  in  1852.  Brother  Gober  and  wife  suf- 
fered much  during  this  disastrous  period;  but  out  of  it 
all  the  Lord  brought  them.  The  next  fall  he  was  sent  as 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  San  Francisco  District.  At  his 
first  quarterly  meeting  in  Mariposa,  R.  W.  Bigham 
requested  him  at  the  close  of  morning  service  to  an- 
nounce at  the  blowing  of  the  horn  in  the  afternoon 
they  would  assemble  to  organize  a  Sunday-school. 
As  he  made  the  announcement,  a  tall,  long-whiskered 
miner  rose  and  said,  "As  I  may  not  hear  you,  old  hoss, 
here  is  my  money  now,"  at  the  same  time  passing  up  a 
two-dollar-and-a-half  gold  piece. 

He  endured  great  hardships  on  this  district.  Upon 
one  occasion  he  met,  in  company  with  J.  W.  Kelly, 
an  old  Negro  in  the  mines  of  Tuolumne  County,  who 
had  come  to  California  with  three  strong  young  men 
to  try  and  retrieve  the  waning  fortunes  of  his  old  mas- 
ter in  North  Carolina.  "Uncle  Jim"  was  true  to  his 
trust.  He  invited  Brothers  Gober  and  Kelly  to  his 
humble  cabin  to  breakfast  Sunday  morning.  They 
went,  and  while  there  heard  the  old  man  tell  with  pride 
how  he  had  worked  and  sent  home  sixteen  thousand 
dollars  to  his  old  master,  and  had  four  thousand  dollars 
more  ready  to  send.  He  said  in  a  few  weeks  he  ex- 
pected to  return  to  his  old  home.  The  preachers  ate 
of  the  old  man's  breakfast,  sang  and  prayed  with  him 
and   the  young  men,  and   when   they  took   their  leave 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  71 

each  of  the  four  put  a  five -dollar  gold  piece  into  the 
hand  of  each  of  the  preachers.  They  held  service  that 
day  under  the  branches  of  a  spreading  live  oak,  and 
Brother  Kelly's  sermon  brought  tears  to  many  eyes  un- 
used to  weeping. 

The  storms  of  that  winter  caught  Brother  Gober  in 
Sonora.  J.  S.  Malone  was  then  stationed  in  that  place. 
At  the  close  of  service  Sunday  morning,  as  they  were 
seated  at  table,  the  landlady  told  them  that  flour  had 
gone  up  to  eighty  dollars  a  barrel,  and  but  few  barrels 
in  market. 

The  streams  were  high,  the  ground  saturated  with 
water,  and  the  storm  still  raging.  The  stage  could  not 
travel — even  pack-trains  were  stopped.  So  Brother 
Gober  set  out  on  foot  for  Stockton,  seventy  miles  dis- 
tant. He  waded  streams,  climbed  mountains,  breasted 
the  pelting  rains,  but  pressed  on  to  his  destination.  In 
the  midst  of  the  storm  he  took  refuge  in  a  hotel  kept 
by  a  Georgian,  who  at  first  mistook  him  for  a  gambler; 
but  when  fully  convinced  that  he  was  a  Methodist 
preacher,  said:  "We  have  lots  of  room  and  plenty  to  eat. 
You  can  stay  here  as  long  as  you  choose,  and  it  sha'n't 
cost  you  a  cent."  He  thanked  him,  but  addressed  him- 
self to  his  journey,  and  in  due  time  reached  the  parson- 
age in  Stockton,  where  he  was  cordially  welcomed  and 
entertained.  An  episode  in  his  history  we  will  let 
him  tell  in  his  own  words:  "In  1854  I  had  some  pe- 
culiarly severe  trials,  the  details  of  which  it  is  unnec- 
essary to  mention.  I  felt  that  I  was  badly  treated. 
With  natural  rather  than  Christian  feelings  of  mor- 
tified pride,  independence,  and  resentment,  I  taught 
school  and  studied  law  with  the  intention  of  enter- 
ing that    profession.     At  the   State  election  that  fall, 


72  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

by  the  persuasion  of  friends,  I  made  a  dash  at  poli- 
tics, was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  served  my 
constituents  acceptably.  Then  came  tempting  offers 
of  business  partnerships  and  pledges  from  my  party 
of  farther  promotion.  Here  was  the  contrast  of  the 
poverty  and  privations  of  a  preacher's  life,  on  the  one 
side,  and  the  wealth,  position,  influence,  and  honor, 
certainly  attainable,  on  the  other.  I  was  on  a  pinnacle, 
with  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  beckoning  and 
alluring  to  what  seemed  a  delightful  way.  A  kind 
providence  interposed  and  turned  the  scales.  My 
brethren  in  the  ministry  had  the  manliness  and  Chris- 
tian candor  to  retract  and  undo,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
wrong  which  they  were  satisfied  they  had  done  me.  I 
dropped  law  and  politics,  and  went  again  with  renewed 
energy  to  the  work  which  I  am  sure  God  called  me  in 
early  life  to  do." 

Three  times  in  the  history  of  the  Church  Brother  Go- 
ber  was  chosen  to  preside  over  the  Annual  Conference 
in  the  absence  of  a  Bishop,  and  twice  was  he  elected  to 
the  General  Conference.  He  was  stationed  in  Nevada 
City  in  1856,  and  during  the  year  almost  the  entire  city 
was  swept  away  by  a  disastrous  fire  in  a  few  hours. 
Fire-proof  buildings,  in  which  men  had  so  much  con- 
fidence as  to  remain,  the  better  to  protect  their  goods, 
were  licked  up  by  the  flames,  and  the  next  day  the 
blackened  remains  of  six  or  seven  of  these  mistaken 
men  were  all  that  was  left  to  tell  their  folly. 

He  filled  many  other  important  stations.  At  one 
time,  for  the  space  of  a  year,  he  was  chief  editor  of  the 
Spectator,  our  Church  organ;  was  also  chaplain  of  the 
State  Senate.  His  last  appointment  among  us  was  in 
Sacramento  City.     Near  the  close  of  his  term   he   saw 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  73 

proper  to  change  his  Church  relations,  and  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (North),  and  is  still  a 
member  of  the  California  Conference  of  that  Church. 

Joseph  S.  M alone  was  born  near  Athens,  Limestone 
County,  Ala.,  April  20,  1S28;  was  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  Tennessee  Conference  in  1845.  After  travel- 
ing six  years  in  that  Conference  he  was  transferred  to 
the  St.  Louis  Conference;  but  in  a  few  months  was 
appointed  to  California,  reaching  San  Francisco  Aug. 
30,  185 1.  He  was  sent  at  once  to  the  southern  mines,  and 
stationed  in  Sonora.  He  was  a  young  man  of  fervid  zeal, 
of  brilliant,  even  poetic,  imagination.  He  entered  upon 
the  work  in  California  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature, 
and  for  the  time  he  was  with  us  did  as  much  as  any 
man  in  the  Conference.  When  Dr.  Boring  started  the 
Christian  Observer,  Brother  Malone,  who  had  been 
studying  the  Spanish  language  to  enable  him  to  preach 
to  the  multitudes  of  that  race  that  were  in  California, 
commenced  a  department  in  Spanish  in  that  paper, 
and,  as  we  have  said,  he  wrote  whole  columns,  week 
after  -week,  in  Spanish,  for  the  paper.  Whether  he 
ever  essayed  to  preach  in  that  language  we  know  not, 
but  think  he  did  not.  He  was  a  very  fearless  man,  and 
that,  with  his  social  qualities,  gave  him  favor  with  the 
miners.  If  there  was  one  thing  they  admired  more 
than  another  in  a  man  it  was  personal  courage. 

It  was  a  strange  sight  to  see  a  Methodist  preacher 
armed  with  a  pistol  when  going  to  a  Church  trial.  W. 
H.  Long,  alias  Ives,  when  arrested  for  his  evil  deeds, 
was  prosecuted  by  Malone;  and  on  the  day  of  trial 
Long  had  made  threats  of  violence,  and  Malone  armed 
himself  and  went  fearlessly  on  with  his  duty  to  the 
Church. 


74  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

After  two  years'  work  in  California  he  returned  to 
his  native  State,  bearing  with  him  the  love  and  best 
wishes  of  his  brethren.  In  the  distance  we  have  lost 
sight  of  him,  and  know  not  whether  he  is  still  alive, 
but  think  he  is  not. 

John  F.  Blythe  was  born  in  Northampton  County, 
N.  C,  May  15,  1S24;  removed  to  West  Tennessee  in 
infancy;  embraced  religion  at  Chapel  Hill,  Henry 
County,  Tenn.,  Aug.  23,  1838;  was  licensed  to  exhort 
in  August,  1S45;  to  Preach,  May  26,  1846;  received  on 
trial  in  the  Memphis  Conference,  Oct.  25,  1846;  and 
appointed  to  the  California  Mission,  July,  185 1.  He 
reached  San  Francisco  some  time  in  September,  and 
was  sent  at  once  to  Nevada  City,  where  he  entered 
upon  his  work  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  great  soul.  He 
built  the  hull  of  a  church  in  Grass  Valley,  built  an- 
other in  Nevada,  another  at  New  Town,  and  still  an- 
other at  French  Corral.  After  preaching  for  nearly  a 
year  in  the  little  clapboard  church  on  the  hill  in  Ne- 
vada, he  projected  another  and  better  one  to  be  erected 
more  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  No  man  that  we  have 
ever  known  had  such  a  hold  upon  the  affections  and 
confidence  of  the  miners.  They  would  give  him  any 
thing  he  would  ask  for. 

As  early  as  1852  he  saw  that  the  time  would  come 
when  the  great  valleys  of  California  would  be  peopled 
with  a  farming  community,  and  the  mines  would  be 
comparatively  abandoned;  and  he  advised  a  transfer 
of  our  most  available  men  from  the  mines  to  the  cities 
and  valleys. 

He  was  made  presiding  elder  in  an  early  day,  and 
did  good  service  on  the  district.  He  planned  for  per- 
manence, and  his  far-seeing   mind   looked   to   the  most 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


/:> 


available  locations.  But  in  the  midst  of  his  activity 
and  usefulness  consumption  marked  him  for  its  victim. 
Soon  he  began  to  waste  and  wither  under  its  influence, 
and  on  the  morning  of  April  3,  1S62,  amid  holy  tri- 
umphs, he  entered  the  presence  of  the  King. 

Andrew  M.  Bailey  was  born  in  Overton  County, 
Tenn.,  April  5,  182 1;  converted  Aug.  28,  1S37;  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  September  of  the 
same  year.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  on  the  Burks - 
ville  Circuit,  Kentucky  Conference,  Aug.  29,  1839; 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Kentucky  Conference, 
Oct.  18,  1839;  and  appointed  to  California,  Oct.  13,  1851. 
His  early  advantages  were  very  limited.  He  lost  his 
father  when  he  was  quite  small,  and  after  the  remar- 
riage of  his  mother  they  moved  to  Cumberland  Coun- 
ty, Ky.  He  says:  "I  had  almost  no  educational  advan- 
tages, so  that  when  I  was  converted  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen I  could  barely  read  in  the  Bible.  My  mother  was 
a  most  devout  Christian,  and  a  '  shouting  Methodist.' 
But  the  family  being  poor,  and  the  children  numerous, 
I  generally  spent  the  spring  and  summer  months  work- 
ing on  farms  as  a  hired  hand.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
I  was  hired  to  Mr.  Benjamin  Speer,  who  took  an  inter- 
est in  my  welfare,  and  impressed  me  deeply  with  the 
necessity  of  being  a  Christian  while  young.  I  lived 
with  him  four  years,  and  if  my  life  has  ever  been  worth 
any  thing  to  the  Church,  the  teaching  and  example  of 
that  good  man,  more  than  any  other  human  agency, 
were  the  cause." 

At  a  camp-meeting  in  July,  1837,  the  first  he  ever 
attended,  he  was  powerfully  convicted,  and  with  all 
the  ardor  of  his  nature  he  besran  seeking  religion.  He 
thought   he    must   do    something  to   merit   it,   and  that 


76  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

when  he  "got  religion  a  light  would  shine  round  about 
him,  and  that  he  would  be  overwhelmed  with  a  sense 
of  the  Divine  Presence."  Under  this  impression  he 
prayed  and  wept  in  the  most  intense  agony  of  soul. 
He  got  no  relief.  The  gloom  of  his  soul  was  insup- 
portable, and  he  began  to  believe  he  was  one  of  the 
"reprobates,"  and  that  he  never  could  be  saved.  This 
thought  terrified  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  neither 
ate  nor  slept  for  a  whole  day  and  night,  when,  while 
there  was  no  excitement  in  the  altar,  his  soul  was  im- 
pressed with  the  thought  that  Jesus  loved  him,  and 
that  he  died  to  save  even  him.  The  thought  thrilled 
him.  In  a  moment  his  whole  moral  nature  was 
changed.  He  had  a  love  to  Christ  such  as  he  had 
never  experienced  before,  and,  boy  as  he  was,  he  rose 
and  began  to  tell  the  people  of  the  infinite  goodness 
of  God.     He  was  appointed  class-leader  at  once. 

On  August  24,  1S39,  ne  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
the  following  October  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Kentucky  Conference.  He  was  junior  preacher  the 
first  year  of  his  connection  with  the  Conference,  and 
that  fall,  under  the  presiding  -  eldership  of  Jonathan 
Stamper,  he  witnessed  a  camp-meeting  on  his  circuit 
the  most  powerful  he  ever  saw.  More  than  three 
hundred  persons  united  with  the  Church  on  that  cir- 
cuit that  year,  and  very  many  of  them  were  converted 
at  this  meeting.  Revivals  blessed  his  labors  wherever 
he  went. 

In  1850  he  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder  on  the 
Irvin  District,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  next  year  Bishop 
Paine  sent  him  as  a  missionary  to  California.  He  ar- 
rived early  in  1852,  and  on  February  13  of  that  year  he 
was  sent  by  Dr.  Boring  to  Stockton,  where  he  found 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  77 

a  new  church  with  a  crushing  debt  upon  it,  and  very 
few  members.  At  the  Conference  held  the  following 
April  he  was  returned  to  this  charge,  but  in  the  fall 
was  sent  to  organize  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit. 

This  work  was  commenced  in  the  town  of  Santa 
Clara,  October  14,  1852,  and  was  extended  down  south 
as  far  as  San  Juan  Mission,  some  forty  miles  below 
San  Jose,  and  north  as  far  as  the  Lower  Redwoods, 
some  six  miles  west  of  where  Redwood  City  now 
stands.  This  work  was  continued  through  the  winter 
and  following  spring.  At  the  next  session  of  the 
Conference,  in  April,  1853,  the  circuit  was  divided,  and 
he  was  appointed  to  the  northern  part,  called  Santa 
Clara  Circuit,  while  J.  T.  Cox  was  put  in  charge  of 
Gilroy  and  Santa  Cruz. 

In  the  fall,  the  first  camp-meeting  that  was  ever  held 
in  this  region  was  held  some  six  miles  east  of  Watson- 
ville,  under  the  leadership  of  J.  T.  Cox.  This,  as  related 
elsewhere,  was  a  grand  meeting.  A  few  weeks  after 
this  meeting  another  was  held  in  the  Santa  Clara  Cir- 
cuit, at  what  was  then  known  as  the  Toll-gate  Camp- 
ground, eight  miles  west  of  San  Jose.  At  this  the 
Rev.  W.  M.  Winters  was  converted,  and  W.  A.  Finley 
and  J.  M.  Lovell  joined  the  Church,  they  both  having 
been  converted  in  Missouri.  Old  Brother  Hicks,  who 
stood  so  long  and  faithfully  to  our  Church,  and  many  of 
his  family,  were  converted  and  brought  into  the  Church, 
and  a  wonderful  impulse  was  given  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  at  this  meeting. 

Brother  Bailey  was  a  sweet  singer,  with  great  power 
and  compass  of  voice.  Some  of  his  songs,  sung  alone, 
were  equal  to  his  sermons.  When  he  stood  in  the 
pulpit  at  a  camp-meeting,  and  sung  one  of  his  favorite 


78  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

hymns,  it  was  like  bugle  notes  calling  to  battle.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  faith,  and  intensely  earnest  in  his 
devotion  to  Christ  and  his  cause.  He  looked  upon  the 
Methodist  Church,  South,  as  his  "mother,"  and  often 
in  the  glamour  of  success,  when  the  power  of  God  was 
upon  him,  would  he  exclaim,  "  I  owe  all  that  I  am  to 
the  grace  of  God  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South."  His  usefulness  among  us  is  unquestioned. 
Soon  after  the  war  he  began  to  despair  of  the  success 
of  our  Church  on  this  coast,  and  under  convictions  of 
wThat  seemed  to  him  duty,  he  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  did  a  little  work  for  a  few  years, 
and  then  ceased  to  travel. 

James  M.  Fulton  was  born  of  irreligious  parents,  on 
Stewart's  Creek,  Pittsylvania  County,  Virginia,  De- 
cember 13,  1 8 18.  In  October,  1843,  he  attended  the  first 
camp-meeting  held  at  Chestnut  Grove  Camp-ground, 
where  he  was  converted  and  joined  the  Church.  Sep- 
tember, 1847,  ne  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and  in  October 
to  preach,  and  at  the  same  time  recommened  for  admis- 
sion into  the  traveling  connection.  In  December,  1847, 
he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  North  Carolina  Con- 
ference. In  1851  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

We  feel  our  hand  to  falter  when  the  name  of  this 
saintly  man  comes  up  for  portrayal  in  these  pages.  His 
every  breath  seemed  incensed  with  prayer.  His  very 
presence  in  a  home  appeared  to  hallow  the  place  and 
make  it  a  Bethel.  He  was  literally  one  that  "  cried  and 
sighed  for  the  abominations  that  were  done  in  the  land." 
Knee-marks  fill  the  track  of  his  entire  progress  through 
the  mountains  and  valleys  of  California.  We  find  him 
kneeling  all   along,  by    night   and    by   day,  by  tree,  by 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  79 

mining-flume,  amid  bowlders  turned  up  by  the  miner's 
pick  and  shovel  —  anywhere,  everywhere  that  he  could 
be  alone  with  God.  See  this  simple  entry  in  his  diary: 
"This  morning,  in  secret  prayer,  I  solemnly  and  cheer- 
fully vowed  to  labor  for  God's  glory  in  the  salvation  of 
souls.  This  was  done  near  a  white-oak  tree,  near  the 
Table  Mountain  ditch,  near  the  Company's  house." 

He  speaks  of  being  forgiven  of  a  certain  sin  while 
riding  on  a  Spanish  pack-mule  at  night.  Some  kind- 
hearted  packer,  overtaking  him  as  he  toiled  along  on 
foot,  and  seeing  his  feebleness,  set  him  upon  one  of  his 
pack-saddles.  Hear  him:  "I  have  witnessed  the  good- 
ness of  God  to  me  to-day  in  opening  a  way  for  me 
to  ride  ten  miles,  instead  of  walking  in  my  great  fee- 
bleness." Amid  the  jingle  of  bells  and  the  tramp  of  a 
drove  of  Spanish  mules,  as  he  threads  his  way  along  the 
chimese-bordered  trail,  this  man,  seated  on  a  comfortless 
pack-saddle,  this  faithful,  feeble  servant  of  God  can  find 
time  and  opportunity  to  pour  forth  a  rich  strain  of 
thanksgiving  to  the  God  he  loves  and  serves.  No  night 
was  too  dark,  no  day  too  inviting,  to  make  him  lose 
sight  of  the  mercv-seat.  His  faithful  journal  records 
the  following:  "  Having  concealed  myself  near  the  road- 
side to-day  for  secret  prayer,  a  man  came  along  hunting, 
and  on  hearing  me  move,  was  raising  his  gun  to  shoot, 
as  he  doubtless  thought,  at  a  hare  or  rabbit,  but  on  see- 
ing what  I  was,  he  explained.  I  felt  I  had  great  cause 
to  thank  God  for  this  almost  miraculous  escape." 

He  was  not  a  great  preacher,  but  he  was  a  great 
Christian.  He  was  dyspeptic  and  a  great  bodily  suf- 
ferer. Hence  he  was  morbidly  sensitive  on  many 
points,  especially  in  regard  to  himself.  He  was  ever 
fearing  of  falling  into  sin,  of  yielding  to  temptation,  of 


8o  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

doing  something  that  would  bring  him  into  condem- 
nation. His  brethren  frequently  laughed  at  his  hyper- 
sensitiveness,  but  no  man  ever  doubted  his  piety  or 
perfect  devotion  to  God.  One  burden  he  never  laid 
down  nor  suffered  for  a  moment  to  be  lifted  from  his 
soul — the  burden  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  It  lived 
in  his  waking  thought  and  hovered  over  him  in  his 
dreams. 

His  last  appointment  was  to  the  Los  Angeles  Cir- 
cuit. He  seemed  to  have  a  presentiment  that  the  Mas- 
ter would  soon  call  for  him,  and  he  carefully  arranged 
all  his  temporal  interests,  but  went  on  with  his  work. 
He  was  at  last  prostrated,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  March, 
1857,  he  kneeled  for  the  last  time  by  his  bed  in  all  of 
his  feebleness,  and,  while  kneeling,  God  clasped  the 
beloved  saint  in  his  arms  and  took  him  forever  to  him- 
self. 

Morris  Evans  was  born  August  28,  1828,  in  Louisville, 
Kentucky;  professed  religion  and  joined  the  Church 
at  Dorsey's  Camp-ground,  near  Louisville,  September 
1,1847.  August  19,  1848,  he  received  license  to  preach, 
and  in  September  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Louisville 
Conference. 

In  the  year  1S51,  when  Dr.  Boring's  plan,  known  as 
the  "  thousand-dollar  plan,"  was  presented  to  the  Louis- 
ville Conference,  some  of  the  leading  brethren  ap- 
proached Brother  Evans  and  asked  him  to  volunteer  for 
California.  This  he  refused  to  do,  telling  them  that  if 
he  were  appointed,  he  would  go  as  he  would  to  any 
other  appointment  to  which  the  Bishop  might  send  him. 
He  was  accordingly  ordained  elder,  and  appointed  by 
Bishop  Paine. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1852,  he  left  Louisville, 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  8i 

in  company  with  A.  M.  Bailey  and  family.  On  reach- 
ing New  Orleans,  they  found  J.  M.  Fulton  waiting  for 
the  sailing  of  the  steamer.  They  left  New  Orleans  on 
January  10,  and  reached  San  Francisco  on  February  n. 
Upon  arriving  at  San  Francisco,  Brother  Evans  was 
assigned  duty  as  assistant  to  Dr.  Boring  until  the  Con- 
ference was  organized.  He  acted  as  junior  preacher  of 
the  station,  was  private  secretary  to  Dr.  Boring  in  all 
business  matters  of  the  Mission,  assistant  editor  of  the 
Observer,  made  up  the  mails,  and  delivered  the  paper 
to  city  patrons  and  at  the  post-office. 

At  the  session  in  which  we  organized,  Brother  Evans 
drafted  the  resolution  which  gave  the  name  to  our 
Conference.  Dr.  Boring,  at  the  conclusion  of  this  Con- 
ference, read  himself  out  as  Superintendent  of  the 
Mission,  and  J.  S.  Malone  and  Morris  Evans  to  San 
Francisco  Station.  Malone  was  soon  sent  to  Sonora 
to  save  our  Church  from  the  effects  of  W.  H.  Long's 
course  of  wrong-doing.  This  left  Evans  in  charge  of 
San  Francisco.  Heavy  duties  and  large  responsibilities 
rested  on  his  young  shoulders.  But  he  proved  himself 
equal  to  the  emergency. 

The  next  two  years  he  was  at  Sonora.  His  first  Sun- 
day was  a  little  remarkable.  There  were  three  large 
gambling-houses  in  full  blast,  each  with  a  brass  band 
filling  the  air  with  music.  In  front  of  the  church, 
across  the  street,  was  a  large  blacksmith  shop  in  which 
they  were  repairing  a  boiler.  In  the  midst  of  this  din 
the  young  preacher  delivered  his  message  to  the  few 
who  came  to  hear  him.  In  the  afternoon  there  was  a 
grand  parade  of  ';  Greasers,  "  who  were  on  their  way  to 
a  bull-fight  in  the  edge  of  town. 

Sunday  was  the  principal  business  day.     On  that  day 
6 


82  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

the  miners  came  in  to  sell  their  gold-dust,  and  lay  in 
their  supplies.     Brother  Evans  says: 

One  of  my  stewards  and  mayor  of  the  city  sold  goods  on  Sun- 
day, including  the  retail  of  whisky.  This  was  the  usual  practice. 
I,  after  a  long  struggle,  succeeded  in  getting  all  the  merchants  to 
close  their  stores  on  Sunday.  The  most  of  them  backslid  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks;  but  one  of  them  remained  steadfast,  and 
soon  his  became  the  largest  and  most  successful  house  inthe  city. 
He  had  a  slit  made  in  his  door  through  which  written  orders 
were  dropped  on  Sunday,  and  he  delivered  the  goods  on  Monday. 
All  the  friends  of  the  Sunday  observers  among  the  miners  pat- 
ronized him.  Men  who  themselves  disregarded  the  day,  yet  re- 
spected the  man  who  maintained  the  principles  in  which  they  had 
been  raised. 

One  Sunday,  after  preaching,  I  went  out  to  dine  at  the  oppo- 
site end  of"  the  city  from  my  bachelor  parsonage.  I  found  the 
streets  black  with  an  immense  crowd  of  miners.  They  were 
digging  out  the  iron  front  doors  of  Adams  &  Company's  bank- 
ing-house. This  firm,  doing  business  throughout  the  United 
States,  had  suspended  payment."  The  miners  about  Sonora  had 
deposited  their  savings  with  them.  They  knew  that  in  the  shape 
of  dust  and  coin  it  was  yet  in  the  safe,  and  that  if  it  went  into 
the  hands  of  a  receiver  but  a  small  percentage  of  it  would  ever 
come  back  to  them;  hence  they  had  determined  to  take  it  out  by 
force.  They  met,  and  sent  a  committee  to  the  man  who  had  the 
keys  and  demanded  them.  Of  course  they  were  refused.  Then, 
with  sledge-hammers,  picks,  and  crowbars,  they  assailed  these 
strong  doors.  They  succeeded  by  digging  the  door-frame  out  of 
the  brick  walls.  Inside,  they  performed  the  same  operation  on 
the  doors  of  the  vault,  and  then  prepared  to  blow  the  safe  open. 

At  this  point,  to  preserve  property,  the  keys  were  surrendered 
to  the  delegation  appointed  to  receive  them.  The  safe  was  un- 
locked, and  the  crowd  permitted  to  look  at  the  piles  of  dust,  bars, 
and  coin.  Then  the  safe  was  locked  and  the  keys  removed. 
Some  one  made  a  speech  to  the  crowd,  declaring  they  were  not 
thieves,  but  proposed  simply  to  get  what  belonged  to  them,  and 
suggested  that  thev  should  elect  a  set  of  bank  clerks  to  pay  off 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  83 

the  proper  demands,  and  make  proper  entries  on  the  books.  This 
was  promptly  agreed  to.  Officers  were  elected,  the  books  taken 
out,  depositors  formed  a  line,  and  each  one  presented  his  vouch- 
ers and  received  the  money  due  him.  This  continued  until  all 
the  claims  were  paid,  and  while  money  was  still  in  the  safe,  the 
books  were  replaced,  the  safe  locked,  and  the  keys  returned  to 
the  proper  custodian.  This  was  a  sample  of  the  early  Vigilance 
Organization  of  California. 

While  the  men  were  working  at  the  outside  doors,  Major  Sol- 
omon, Sheriff  of  the  ounty,  mingled  with  the  crowd,  threaten- 
ing and  in  every  way  possible  trying  to  prevent  the  consumma- 
tion of  their  purpose.  One  excited  man,  who  had  been  working 
with  a  crowbar,  and  was  resting,  noticed  the  Sheriff  and  raised 
his  bar  to  strike  him.  Another  promptly  drew  out  his  revolver, 
and  aiming  at  the  head  of  the  man  with  the  crowbar,  said,  "At- 
tempt to  strike  him,  and  I'll  blow  your  brains  out!" 

The  other  demanded,  "  What  business  has  he  to  interfere  with 
us?" 

The  former  replied:  "We  elected  him  Sheriff  to  see  that  the 
laws  are  enforced.  We  are  engaged  in  an  unlawful  act,  and  he 
is  simply  doing  his  duty,  and  he  shall  not  be  molested." 

Shortly  after  this  circumstance,  a  "Sidney  Duck"  (as  Aus- 
tralian convicts  were  called),  named  Griffiths,  murdered  a  Mr, 
Joe  Heslep.  The  Heslep  Brothers  had  shown  the  fellow  gener- 
ous kindness,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  sad  opportunity,  he  had 
foully  murdered  Joe  for  money  locked  up  in  the  firm  safe.  This 
occurred  about  dark,  at  the  office,  not  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  from  the  Placer  Hotel,  which  was  the  central 
house  in  the  city. 

The  murder  was  soon  discovered,  and  a  Vigilant  Committee 
organized.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  hours  they  discovered 
who  had  done  the  deed.  Griffiths  was  present  as  a  witness,  and 
had  adopted  measures  to  cover  his  tracks,  showing  consummate 
acuteness;  but  these  Californians  were  hard  men  to  deceive.  As 
soon  as  it  was  certain  that  he  was  the  man,  Major  Solomon  be- 
ing present,  laid  his  hand  on  the  culprit's  shoulder  and  claimed 
him  as  his  prisoner.  The  Vigilants  interfered,  and  proposed  to 
settle  the  case  themselves.     Finallv  an  agreement  was  made  that 


84  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

the  prisoner  should  not  be  taken  from  the  office  where  he  then 
was  until  after  daybreak,  and  that  the  Sheriff  would  not  inter- 
fere before  that  time.  The  Committee  then,  in  the  presence  of 
Griffiths,  determined  to  burn  their  prisoner  in  front  of  the  office 
at  sunrise. 

The  circumstances  of  the  murder  were  exceedingly  horrible. 
Mr.  Billy  Heslep,  who  was  absent  at  the  time  of  the  murder,  but 
who  had  come  when  sent  for,  was  informed  of  all  the  facts,  and 
of  the  verdict.  He  sent  back  an  importunate  appeal  to  them  not 
to  burn  the  man.  Upon  this  they  reconsidered  their  verdict,  and 
agreed,  in  deference  to  the  request,  to  change  the  penalty  to 
hanging. 

About  midnight,  after  all  these  matters  had  been  settled,  some 
one  proposed  to  send  for  a  preacher  to  talk  to  Griffiths.  One  of 
the  Committee — Jack  Davis,  a  man  of  gigantic  form,  and  one  of 
the  most  profane  men  I  ever  met,  whom  I  never  knew  to  go 
to  church — opposed  the  proposition  vehemently.  He  appeared 
to  think  that  a  preacher  would  have  no  difficulty  in  fixing  up  any 
fellow  for  heaven,  and  that  this  would  be  defrauding  hell  of  its 
clear  right.  But  he  was  overruled,  and  a  messenger  soon  called 
me  up  from  my  bed.  J.  F.  Blythe,  then  my  presiding  elder,  was 
spending  the  night  with  me.  We  dressed  and  went  down.  Being 
well  known  by  all,  I  was  promptly  passed  through  the  armed 
guards  and  soon  seated  by  the  man.  My  firm  conviction,  after  a 
few  words,  was  that  the  man  was  devoid  of  human  sympathy. 
When  I  entered  he  was  seated  at  a  desk  writing.  The  penman- 
ship was  beautiful,  perfectly  smooth,  and  did  not  evince  the 
shadow  of  excitement. 

For  the  only  time  in  my  life  I  felt  that  I  was  almost  guilty  of 
sacrilege  in  quoting  the  beautiful  promises  of  the  Scriptures. 
But  fearing  that  my  affection  for  Mr.  Heslep,  and  utter  horror  at 
the  foul  crime  was  affecting  me,  I  induced  Brother  Blythe  to  take 
my  seat.  At  once  I  saw,  as  he  afterward  confessed  to  me,  that 
he  was  affected  as  I  was,  although  he  had  not  known  Mr.  Heslep. 
The  experience  was  a  horrible  one.  The  man  seemed  a  demon. 
When  Blythe  arose,  Jack  Davis,  who  stood  behind  the  prisoner, 
and  heard  all  that  was  said  to  him,  broke  out  in  a  torrent  of  oaths 
at  him.     He  received  these  in  precisely  the  same  manner  that  he 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  85 

did  our  talks  to  him.  As  we  were  leaving  the  room,  a  young 
lawyer,  who  had  been  elected  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  begged 
me  to  attend  the  hanging  next  morning,  with  the  assurance  that 
I  should  not  be  considered  as  indorsing  or  conniving  at  their  vio- 
lation of  the  law.  He  thought  that,  being  well  known  by  the 
whole  community,  my  presence  would  tend  to  allay  any  violent 
manifestations.  I  consented.  Just  about  davbreak  a  messenger 
came  for  me.  Brother  Blythe  and  I  went  down.  A  group  of 
prominent  citizens  (members  of  the  Vigilant  Committee)  were 
standing  about  a  small  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  street.  The 
Sheriff  was  making  an  address  from  the  stoop  in  front  of  the 
office.  A  man  was  passing  back  and  forth  behind  the  Sheriff  on 
the  stoop,  and  two  men  on  the  ground  in  front  of  him — these  two 
only  appearing  to  listen  to  the  speech.  As  Blythe  and  I,  saluting 
acquaintances  as  we  passed,  stepped  upon  the  stoop,  the  patrol 
stepped  to  the  door  and  opened  it  for  us  to  enter.  We  passed  in 
and  met  two  men  with  navy  pistols  drawn;  behind  them  two 
more,  one  on  each  side  the  prisoner,  and  two  others  behind. 
Each  of  these  guards  had  in  their  hands  large  six-shooters. 

Jack  Davis  had  the  prisoner  by  the  arm.  and  by  stepping  back 
brought  us  face  to  face  with  Griffiths.  I  extended  my  hand, 
which  he  took  and  exhibited  a  little  emotion.  His  eyes  were  be- 
dewed. Jack  Davis  noticed  it,  and  sung  out  in  a  loud  voice, 
"Open  the  door,  and  let  this  man  out  of  his  suspense!"  The 
door  opened,  and  we  passed  out — Blythe  and  I  in  the  rear,  acting 
as  chaplains  to  a  Vigilance  Committee.  The  Sheriff  and  his 
deputy  were  led  off  by  their  friends.  The  latter  foolishly  drew 
his  revolver  in  resistance.  Instantly  every  man  in  the  crowd  ex- 
hibited a  six-shooter  or  a  Bowie-knife.  The  procession,  howev- 
er, pursued  its  dead  march,  inattentive  to  these  performances.  I 
suggested  to  Brother  Blythe  that  my  presence  did  not  seem  to 
have  much  effect,  and  proposed  that  we  should  go  no  farther. 
He  liked  the  idea,  and  we  stopped  to  talk  to  the  Sheriff. 

Brother  Evans,  with  the  assistance  of  a  single  teach- 
er (John  Rowland),  successfully  conducted  a  Sunday- 
school  of  some  forty  or  fifty  scholars,  a  large  number 
of  whom  could  not  read..     As  much  was  accomplished 


S6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

by  this  school  as  by  any  other  agency.  In  1S55  ne 
was  stationed  in  Oakland.  Here  we  had  neither  house 
nor  organization,  and  only  some  half-dozen  who  had 
been  members  of  our  Church.  Just  before  Confer- 
ence, Mrs.  Col.  Jack  Hayes  told  Brother  Evans  to  se- 
lect any  half-block  in  Oakland  for  a  church  and  par- 
sonage, and  she  would  secure  us  a  deed  from  her  hus- 
band. The  congregation,  under  the  management  of 
Dr.  Davis,  had  made  a  handsome  subscription  for  his 
support,  but  all  fell  through  by  the  failure  of  Brother 
Evans  to  return.  The  hold  we  had  on  the  people  in 
those  days  was  largely  personal,  and  not  ecclesiastical. 
The  people  had  but  little  Church  fealty. 

The  next  year  he  was  sent  to  Grass  Valley,  where  he 
rebuilt  the  church,  and  had  great  success.  He  attended 
a  camp-meeting  on  Bear  River,  under  the  management 
of  C.  Gridley,  that  was  a  meeting  of  extraordinary 
power.  Over  one  hundred  souls  were  converted.  Go- 
ber,  Newton,  Martin,  and  some  other  preachers,  were 
present,  but  Gober  and  Evans  did  the  main  part  of  the 
preaching. 

In  1857  he  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Sacramento  District.  He  so  enlarged  the  district  dur- 
ing the  year  that  it  became  necessary  to  divide  it,  and 
the  Marysville  (now  Colusa)  District  was  formed. 

During  this  year  the  immersion  question  was  forced 
upon  us,  which  resulted  in  the  most  remarkable  camp- 
meeting — at  least  in  some  respects — ever  held  on  the 
coast.  It  was  held  near  the  town  of  Vacaville,  jointly 
by  the  Campbellite  Christians  and  the  Southern  Meth- 
odists. Brother  Gober  acted  as  the  champion  of  our 
Church,  and  Mr.  Hendricks,  known  as  the  "  Oregon 
Whale,'1    led    the   hosts   of  Campbell.     They   were   to 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  87 

conduct  the  services  day  about  in  any  way  they  pleased. 
The  Campbellite  Christians  usually  harped  on  immer- 
sion, and  made  some  converts,  while  the  Methodists 
would  answer  their  arguments  and  hold  revival  serv- 
ices, each  side  exemplifying  his  own  mode  of  work. 

In  i860  and  1861  Brother  Evans  was  Presiding  Elder 
of  the  San  Francisco  District.  At  the  Conference 
held  at  the  Macedonia  Camp-ground,  in  1S61,  he  was 
elected  President  of  the  Conference.  He  was  stationed 
in  San  Francisco  the  next  year.  Our  friends  were 
afraid — many  of  them — to  let  it  be  known  that  they 
were  our  friends.  Men  would  give  money  in  secret, 
and  beg-  not  to  let  it  be  known. 

In  1S63  he  was  sent  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada'Ter- 
ritory.  Here  he  was  deservedly  popular.  It  is  said 
upon  a  certain  occasion  some  men  at  a  hotel  were  can- 
vassing the  question  as  to  where  they  should  attend 
service  that  day,  it  being  Sunday,  when  a  man  spoke 
up,  and  said:  ^Boys,  come  go  with  me  and  hear  Mr. 
Evans  preach.  I  tell  you  he  can  sling  a  text!"  That 
settled  them — they  went  to  hear  Evans. 

One  of  those  sudden  panics  occurred,  when  it  was 
thought  that  the  mines  in  and  about  Virginia  Citv  were 
giving  out,  and  every  thing  dropped;  people  left  by 
hundreds,  and  our  preachers  returned  to  California. 

At  the  session  of  the  Conference,  in  1S64,  Brother 
Evans  was  located  to  go  South,  but  did  not  get  off  till 
Feb.  13,  1865.  Thus  he  was  in  the  State  thirteen  years 
and  two  days,  and  but  few  men  left  a  more  indelible  im- 
pression than  he.  Since  his  return  to  his  native  State 
of  Kentucky  he  has  held  the  best  positions  in  his  Confer- 
ence, and  is  now  President  of  Garrard  Female  College. 

William    A.    Simmons    was    born    in    Dutts   County, 


88  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Ga.,  near  the  Indian  Springs,  March  17,  1823.  His 
father,  the  Rev.  John  Simmons,  was  a  preacher  and 
member  of  the  Georgia  Conference;  had  been  of  the 
old  South  Carolina  Conference  before  the  Georgia 
Conference  was  organized. 

W.  A.  Simmons  was  the  child  of  many  prayers,  and 
early  gave  evidence  of  regeneration.  He  was  never 
vicious,  but  ever  obedient  to  parents  and  teachers.  He 
never  knew  when  he  was  converted,  but  thinks  the 
change  took  place  when  he  was  about  six  years  old. 
He  entered  Emory  College  in  1840,  having  prepared 
for  college  in  the  old  Manual  Labor  School,  that  was 
finally  merged  into  the  college.  While  in  college  he 
had  regular  hours  for  meditation  and  prayer,  and  had 
beaten  out  a  short  path  in  a  thick  grove,  near  his  father's 
residence,  where  each  evening,  about  sundown,  when 
the  weather  would  permit,  he  would  walk,  and  think, 
and  pray.  He  graduated  in  July,  1844;  was  licensed 
to  exhort  in  1S46,  and  to  preach  in  August  of  the  same 
year;  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Georgia  Conference, 
held  at  Macon,  Dec.  27,  1846. 

In  1851,  at  the  Conference  held  in  Griffin,  Ga.,  where 
his  parents  then  resided,  the  call  was  made  for  mission- 
aries to  California.  His  brother,  J.  C.  Simmons,  had 
his  heart  set  on  going,  and  had  been  in  correspond- 
ence with  Dr.  Boring  from  the  time  of  his  appoint- 
ment, but  his  mother  was  unwilling  for  him  to  go  alone. 
At  this  Conference  William  agreed  to  go,  and  the 
brothers  at  once  placed  their  names  in  the  hands  of  the 
Bishop,  and  were  accepted. 

They  left  their  home  in  December,  185 1,  and  sailed 
from  New  Orleans  on  Jan.  25,  1852,  and  reached  San 
Francisco  on  February  26  of  the  same  year. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  89 

W.  A.  Simmons  was  sent  to  Marysville.  He  was 
present- at  the  organization  of  the  Pacific  Conference, 
and  was  returned  to  Marysville,  where  he  organized 
a  Church  of  six  or  seven  members,  preaching  in  the 
court-house.  His  congregations  at  this  place  were 
always  small.  While  there  were  over  four  thousand 
inhabitants  in  Marysville  at  the  time,  there  were  per- 
haps not  a  dozen  females  in  the  town.  He  remained 
in  Marysville  about  six  months,  and  was  sent  to  George- 
town Circuit.  He  preached  at  Georgetown,  Yankee 
Jim's,  Elizabethtown,  King's  Hill,  Spanish  Flat,  Dry 
Creek,  and  anywhere  he  could  get  a  congregation. 
He  preached  in  bar-rooms,  hotels,  bowling-alleys,  under 
the  shade  of  trees,  and  in  the  miner's  tents  and  cabins. 
While  on  this  circuit  he  wrote  to  the  Christian  Observer: 

Two  Sabbaths  ago,  after  having  preached  in  the  afternoon  un- 
der a  large  spreading  oak  to  a  large  congregation  of  serious  and 
attentive  hearers,  I  appointed  a  social  Christian  meeting  for  the 
evening.  Many  came  together,  and  after  I  had  spoken  a  few 
words  on  the  necessity  and  importance  of  Christian  communion 
and  Christian  sympathy,  and  what  we  had  suffered  for  the  want 
of  it,  I  called  upon  each  one  who  was  a  friend  of  Christ  to  tell 
us  what  he  was  doing  for  God,  and  what  were  his  purposes. 
Many  spoke  boldly  for  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  a  thrill  of  Chris- 
tian sympathy  was  felt  through  every  heart.  We  were  seated 
on  the  side  of  a  hill,  on  the  ground,  near  a  creek.  The  stars 
looked  down  upon  us,  and  angels  too,  no  doubt.  The  mountain 
on  the  opposite  side  flung  back  the  echo  of  the  shouts  of  God's 
children,  and  the  air,  where  nightly  howled  the  wolf,  was  made 
vocal  with  the  melody  of  the  songs  of  Zion.  It  was  a  gracious 
time,  and  many  fearful  hearts  were  made  strong  in  God,  and  sev- 
eral mourners  knelt  in  the  dust  for  us  to  pray  for  them. 

He  walked  over  the  mountains  much  of  the  time. 
Sometimes  he  rode  a  mule.     When  going  up  a  steep 


90  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

mountain  he  would  dismount,  and,  laying  hold  of  the 
mule's  tail,  would  make  him  thus  help  him  itinerate. 
At  Yankee  Jim's  he  was  snowed  in  for  two  months. 
Many  of  the  houses  were  broken  down  by  the  weight 
of  the  snow.  He  was  comfortably  housed  in  a  miner's 
cabin,  presented  to  him,  with  all  its  contents  and  pro- 
visions, by  two  brothers  from  Georgia — William  and 
James  Boyd — who  died  soon  after  returning  to  their 
home.  God  has  made  him  a  blessing  to  their  families 
since  his  return. 

At  Yankee  Jim's  he  bought  a  large  house  that  had 
been  used  for  the  vilest  purposes,  and  converted  it  into 
a  church.  He  bought  the  house  with  his  own  money, 
and  if  it  exists  owns  it  yet,  as  well  as  the  cabin. 

In  coming  up  the  coast  from  Panama  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  saved  the  life  of  a  young  Georgian.  He  met 
him  on  this  circuit.  He  never  could  do  enough  for 
him.  He  fed  him  at  his  tent,  gave  him  his  bed  while 
he  slept  on  the  ground,  quit  his  work  and  took  him 
over  the  mountains  at  his  own  expense,  and  gave  him 
an  interest  in  his  mining  claim. 

He  was  sent  to  Nevada  in  1853,  and  to  Grass  Valley 
in  1854,  Here  his  health  failed,  and  in  October  of 
that  year  he  returned  to  Georgia.  He  was  almost  an 
invalid  till  the  war  broke  out.  Many  young  men  of 
his  charge  enlisted  as  soldiers,  and  when  the  Confed- 
erate Congress  passed  a  bill  providing  for  the  services 
of  chaplains,  he  was  the  first  man  in  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy to  apply  for  a  chaplaincy.  He  was  chosen  by 
the  Eleventh  Georgia  Regiment.  He  was  at  the  first 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  continued  chaplain  of  the  same 
regiment  throughout  the  war;  was  present  at  the  sur- 
render at  Appomattox.     He  worked  incessantly  for  the 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  91 

good  of  his  regiment,  preaching  for  them  and  looking 
after  the  sick  and  wounded.  He  endured  all  the  hard- 
ships of  the  soldier,  marching  on  foot  in  mud,  and  rain, 
and  snow,  eating  hard -tack  and  sleeping  on  the  ground, 
often  without  tent  or  shelter.  In  the  grand  revival  that 
swept  over  the  entire  Confederate  army  he  took  an 
active  part,  and  witnessed  hundreds  of  conversions 
among  the  soldiers.     He  was  not  sick  a  day. 

After  the  war  was  over  he  returned  to  Atlanta.  But 
there  was  a  call  for  help  in  the  upper  portions  of  Geor- 
gia, where  almost  utter  desolation  reigned.  The  peo- 
ple had  lost  every  thing  by  the  war.  But  their  souls 
were  precious,  and  although  he  had  not  a  dollar  in  the 
world,  he  set  out  on  foot  more  than  a  hundred  miles  to 
act  as  their  pastor.  After  awhile  he  borrowed  a  blind 
horse  and  an  old  wagon,  and  took  his  wife  to  the  cir- 
cuit. God  provided  for  him,  and  he  lacked  for  no  nec- 
essary thing.  The  people  flocked  out  to  hear  him 
preach.  Mothers  came — walking  five  miles,  bearing 
their  children  in  their  arms — at  night  to  hear  preaching, 
traveling  in  the  darkness  by  the  light  of  pine  torches. 
He  preached  one  hundred  sermons  in  one  hundred  con- 
secutive days;  received  one  hundred  souls  into  the 
Church,  and  received  $100  for  his  services.  A  remark- 
able similar  circumstance  occurred  the  next  year  among 
the  same  people.  He  preached  three  hundred  times 
during  the  year,  and  received  three  hundred  members 
into  the  Church,  and  received  $300  for  the  year's  serv- 
ices. He  went  from  house  to  house  praying  with  the 
people.  He  would  gallop  his  horse  from  house  to 
house,  that  he  might  have  time  to  visit  all.  He  was 
made  presiding  elder  of  that  section  of  the  State,  and 
did  much  to  build  up  the  waste  places  of  Zion.     The 


92  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Rev.  Dr.  A.  G.  Haygood  attended  his  District  Confer- 
ence, and,  in  writing  for  the  Christian  Advocate,  said: 
"The  district  meeting  was  interesting  and  profitable. 
The  Rev.  W.  A.  Simmons,  presiding  elder,  guided  its 
deliberations.  Some  measures  were  set  on  foot  which 
will,  if  successful,  make  a  new  era  in  North  Georgia. 
It  is  due  to  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Dahlonega  Dis- 
trict, now  winding  up  his  third  year  of  devoted  service, 
to  say  he  has  deserved  well  of  his  country  and  of  his 
Church.  Steadily,  patiently,  devotedly,  I  think  very 
nobly,  he  has  stood  by  the  ship.  He  and  the  noble 
men  of  his  district  have  saved  the  day — saved  their 
section  from  anarchy  and  ruin." 

There  was  a  dreadful  state  of  things  in  North  Geor- 
gia after  the  war.  A  class  of  men  called  "  Hog-backs," 
thieves  and  robbers,  were  all  through  the  country.  To 
some  places  the  preachers  dared  not  go.  But  he  could 
go  anywhere.  Five  companions  of  his  old  regiment 
lived  in  the  bounds  of  his  district.  They  were  his  fast 
friends,  and  stood  ready  to  defend  him  in  any  emer- 
gency. He  labored  in  Georgia  and  Florida  up  to  two 
years  ago,  when  he  took  a  superannuated  relation  to  the 
North  Georgia  Conference.  Last  year  he  was  engaged 
in  revival-meetings  for  months.  God  blessed  him  and 
his  labors  with  hundreds  of  conversions. 

John  C.  Simmons,  son  of  the  Rev.  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth Simmons,  was  born  in  Jackson,  Butts  County, 
Ga.,  May  26,  1827.  It  would  not  be  modest  in  the 
writer  of  these  pages  to  say  much  of  himself,  and  yet 
the  facts  of  history  demand  that,  as  one  of  the  actors 
in  planting  Southern  Methodism  on  this  coast,  he 
should  take  his  place  with  the  rest. 

He  was  converted  in  his  tenth  year,  and  has  held  fast 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  93 

his  integrity  ever  since.     He  was  licensed   to   exhort 
Sept.  13,  1847,  and  to  preach  August,  1848. 

His  father  had  built  a  neat  log  church  on  his  own 
farm,  for  the  benefit  of  his  neighbors,  mainly  at  his  own 
expense.  In  this  church  his  son  was  licensed  to  preach 
at  the  same  time  with  A.  M.  Wynn,  his  co-laborer  in 
California,  J.  S.  Key,  D.D.,  and  A.  Gray. 

From  the  first  call  of  the  Church  for  missionaries  to 
California  he  felt  a  call  from  the  Holy  Spirit  to  go. 
He  would  have  been  anions:  the  first  had  his  mother 
given  her  consent.  While  she  would  not  say  No,  he 
could  see  that  she  was  loath  to  give  him  up,  and  he 
waited  patiently  until  the  way  was  opened.  He  came 
with  his  brother  William,  joining  company  with  D.  B. 
Leyne  and  E-  B.  Lockley  on  the  way.  They  all  landed 
on  the  evening  of  Feb.  26,  18^2.  He  was  at  once  sent 
to  Grass  Valley;  after  remaining  there  two  years,  to 
Stockton  for  two  years;  Mariposa  and  San  Jose,  each 
two  years;  and  so  on,  filling  stations  and  districts.  For 
four  years  he  was  professor  in  Pacific  Methodist  Col- 
lege. He  has  gone  in  and  out  all  these  years,  always 
effective,  until  now  he  stands  the  only  member  of  the 
Pacific  Conference  who  was  present  at  the  organization. 
And  while  he  has  not  answered  every  roll-call  of  the 
Conference,  he  has  answered  every  call  for  labor,  and 
has  missed  no  year  from  effective  work  since  he  was 
licensed  to  preach.  Happy  in  his  work,  he  longs  to 
spend  many  more  years  in  the  service  of  Him  who  has 
kept  him  all  these  years. 

Dennis  B.  Leyne  was  born  in  County  Kerry,  Ire- 
land. He  did  not  remember  the  date  of  his  birth.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  the  latter  part  of  1840. 
He  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  as  he  says,  "  a  deplorable 


94  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

sinner,  enveloped  in  the  mazes  of  Popish  superstition, 
and  dreadfully  tenacious  of  my  Catholic  opinions,  espe- 
cially the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation;  was  an  unbe- 
liever in  experimental  religion  and  bordering  strongly 
gn  infidelity,  until  by  the  grace  of  God,  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  labors  of  Dr.  J.  Boring,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1844,  I  was  brought  to  see  the  light  as  it  is  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Nov.  11,  1845,  God  for  Christ's  sake 
sanctified  my  soul.  Then  commenced  my  call  to  the 
ministry.  I  was  received  on  trial  into  the  itinerancy  at 
Mobile,  Ala.,  February,  1846." 

He  traveled  in  the  Alabama  Conference  till  1S52, 
when  he  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  California.  He 
landed  in  San  Francisco,  Feb.  26,  1852. 

He  was  an  Irishman,  with  a  full,  broad  brogue.  His 
conversion  was  thorough,  and  he  was  perfectly  conse- 
crated to  God,  and  happy  in  his  consecration. 

A  few  months  after  reaching  California  he  met  the 
writer.  He  had  been  to  San  Jose,  and  had  met  Bro- 
ther A.  M.  Wynn's  class,  getting  shouting  happy.  At 
this  meeting  he  said,  "I  tell  you,  Brother  John,  I  ran 
away  wid  the  trucks,"  alluding  to  a  scene  he  had  wit- 
nessed in  Alabama,  where  he  saw  a  pair  of  young 
oxen,  hitched  to  a  pair  of  wooden  trucks,  get  beyond 
control.  He  got  shouting  happy,  and  ran  all  over  the 
house. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Benicia  and  Marti- 
nez Circuit.  This  circuit  began  at  the  Redwoods,  west 
of  the  Bay  and  south  of  San  Francisco,  and  "went 
through  Alameda  County,  taking  in  Oakland,  San  Ra- 
mon Valley,  Martinez,  Benicia,  Suisun,  and  Napa. 

When  B.  H.  Russell  reached  California  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  W.  R.  Gober  proposed  a  division  of  Brother 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


95 


Leyne's  circuit,  and  giving  a  portion  of  it  to  Brother 
Russell;  but  Leyne  opposed  it  with  all  his  might. 

He  remained  but  a  short  time  in  California,  and  re- 
turned to  Alabama,  where  he  died  in  holy  triumph  after 
a  few  years'  labor. 

Elijah  B.  Lockley  was  born  in  Monroe  County, 
Georgia,  June  12,  1828;  was  converted  in  1841,  and 
was  licensed  to  preach  in  October,  1847. 

When  he  joined  the  Alabama  Conference  is  not 
known.  He  landed  in  San  Francisco,  February  26, 
1852,  and  was  sent  to  Sonoma,  where  he  organized  a 
society  of  our  Church,  and  built  a  neat  Gothic  house 
of  worship,  which  was  burned  some  years  ago.  We 
still  own  the  lot,  but  have  no  organization  in  that  val- 
ley at  the  present  time. 

Brother  Lockley  was  a  born  wag,  and  it  was  a  diffi- 
cult matter  for  him  to  keep  himself  within  proper 
bounds  in  his  waggery.  He  often  indulged  in  the 
drollest  remarks,  and  used  the  most  ludicrous  figures 
in  the  pulpit. 

During  the  war  in  the  Crimea,  Lockley  was  one 
of  the  best-posted  men  in  the  State  on  the  causes 
and  developments  of  that  war.  While  enduring  a 
stage-ride  from  Stockton  to  Sonora,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Evans,  a  fellow-passenger  happened  to  mention 
the  war.  Lockley  at  once,  with  the  deepest  interest 
manifested  in  every  feature,  asked,  "  What  war?  "  The 
man  evidently  knew  but  little  of  the  war  himself,  but 
here  was  a  man  who,  he  thought,  knew  less  than  him- 
self, and  he  began  explaining.  Lockley  sat  with  open 
mouth,  showing  the  most  intense  interest;  and  when 
the  man  would  begin  to  waver,  Lockley  would  ply  him 
with  a  question  that  would  start  him  again.     This  was 


c)6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

kept  up  as  long  as  the  man  was  in  the  stage.  Evans 
asked  him  how  he  could  reconcile  his  conduct  with  his 
claim  for  veracity,  as  he  had  been  deceiving  the  man 
all  the  while.  He  protested  that  this  was  not  the  case; 
that  the  man  was  anxious  to  tell  the  news,  and  was 
gratified  in  having  a  listener;  and  besides,  that  he  had 
studied  human  nature,  and  had  gathered  material  for 
two  or  three  sermons  from  his  observations  during  that 
interview.  He  said  most  of  his  sermons  were  made  by 
some  such  process  as  that. 

He  was  said  to  be  lazy,  as  he  was  very  much  indis- 
posed to  any  physical  exertion  whatever.  In  traveling 
on  the  steamer,  when  coming  to  California,  he  never 
once  went  on  deck.  He  would  rise  in  the  morning, 
and  after  breakfast  would  seat  himself  on  a  sofa  in  the 
main  saloon  of  the  ship,  and,  book  in  hand,  would  sit 
and  read  all  day.  He  read  one  thousand  pages  on  the 
voyage.  We  once  laid  a  plan  to  get  him  on  deck. 
Going  to  him  as  we  sailed  up  the  coast  of  Mexico, 
with  the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains  rising  in  grandeur, 
till  their  summits  were  lost  in  clouds  or  capped  with 
snow,  we  told  him  of  the  magnificent  scenery,  and 
begged  him  to  go  and  see  it. 

"Is  it  grand?"  said  he. 

"  Yes,  the  most  magnificent  panorama  we  ever  be- 
held." 

"Well,  Brother  John,  go  up  and  take  a  good  look  at 
it,  and  come  down  and  tell  me  how  it  looks." 

The  next  day  we  saw  a  whale  sporting  in  the  sea  but 
a  little  way  from  the  ship.  Rushing  down  to  Lockley, 
we  said,  "  Come,  Brother  Lockley,  there  is  a  whale  in 
sight." 

"Is  there,  John?" 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  97 

"Yes;  come  and  see  him." 

"  Is  he  blowing?  " 

"  Yes,  just  spouting  the  water  high  in  the  air." 

"Well,  let  him  blow." 

We  gave  him  up. 

But  with  all  his  physical  inactivity,  he  was  a  great 
student  of  books.  He  read  incessantly,  and  treasured 
up  what  he  read;  and  when  in  the  pulpit,  no  one  would 
suspect  that  he  was  lazy.  He  threw  all  the  force  of 
mind  and  voice  into  his  theme,  and  often  preached 
with  a  pathos  and  power  that  only  an  aroused  soul 
could  put  forth.  His  ministry  was  greatly  blessed. 
Many  souls  were  converted  under  his  labors.  We 
could  fill  many  pages  with  anecdotes  illustrative  of  his 
character. 

He  seemed  to  be  vacillating  at  times;  would  locate 
for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  seek  for  re-admission.  At 
last  he  located,  and  settling  down  on  a  little  farm  on 
the  banks  of  Kind's  River,  he  commenced  a  farmer's 
life.     He  had  tried  law. 

One  evening  he  heard  his  dog  growling  at  some- 
thing just  down  a  steep  bank  near  his  house.  He  look- 
ed over  to  see  what  it  was,  and  just  then  a  young  man 
fired  at  the  dog,  and  several  of  the  shot  lodged  in  the 
breast  of  Brother  Lockley.  He  staggered  a  few  steps, 
kneeled  down  to  pray,  and  fell  over  dead. 

Solomon  W.  Davies  was  born  in  Buncombe  County, 
N.  C,  March  22,  1818;  joined  the  Church  in  August, 
1838;  was  converted  in  September,  1839;  was  licensed 
to  preach  in  1840.  He  soon  after  joined  the  South 
Carolina  Conference,  and  in  185 1  was  appointed  to 
California,  He  reached  San  Francisco,  April  1,  1852, 
just  two  weeks  before  the  organization  of  the  Pacific 
7 


o/S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Conference.  He  labored  till  1858,  when  he  located  for 
one  year;  was  re-admitted,  and  filled  various  appoint- 
ments till  1874,  when  an  affection  of  the  throat  placed 
him  on  the  superannuated  list,  and  from  that  time  to 
the  day  of  his  death  he  held  either  a  superannuated  or 
supernumerary  relation  to  the  Conference.  He  was  an 
earnest,  good  man,  never  very  demonstrative,  but  a 
clear,  sound  preacher.  He  was  ever  true  to  our  Church, 
and  his  greatest  joy  wras  to  see  its  prosperity.  He  me* 
his  death  in  the  most  tragic  manner.  He  was  prepar- 
ing to  go  to  a  camp-meeting  on  the  Healdsburg  Cir- 
cuit, Sept.  5,  1S84,  in  the  town  of  Santa  Rosa,  where  he 
resided.  He  had  occasion  to  cross  the  railroad  track, 
when  he  was  struck  by  a  passing  train  and  instantly 
killed.  Mysterious  are  the  ways  of  Providence;  and 
while  there  may  be  all  about  such  a  death  to  cause  the 
soul  instinctively  to  shrink  back  from  it  with  dread, 
yet  the  sudden  breaking  of  all  life's  strings  at  one  fell 
blow  may  have  been  the  most  painless  of  all  passages 
from  the  earthly  to  the  heavenly  estate. 

John  W.  Kelly  was  born  in  Union  County,  S.  C, 
Jan.  29.  1825,  of  religious  parents.  He  was  converted 
in  1841,  and  admitted  on  trial  in  the  South  Carolina 
Conference,  Feb.  18,  1844.  He  labored  acceptably  in 
this  Conference  until  his  appointment  to  California  in 
185 1.  He  came  at  once  to  his  new  field,  and  entered 
upon  its  toils  with  zeal  and  hope.  As  presiding  elder 
his  labors  were  greatly  blessed,  and  he  left  an  impress 
for  good  wherever  he  went.  His  last  appointment  was 
in  Stockton,  where  he  lost  his  child,  and,  his  wife's 
health  failing,  he  returned,  in  1853,  to  his  native  Con- 
ference. He  was  one  of  Nature's  noblemen;  six  feet 
and  a  half  high,  with  a  frame  in  full  proportion,  he  was 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  99 

a  man  of  mark  anywhere.  His  intellectual  man  seems 
also  to  have  been  on  a  large  scale.  He  was  a  born 
ruler,  and  had  he  remained  in  California,  no  doubt  he 
would  have  led  his  brethren  in  many  a  hard-fought 
field.  He  had  a  magnificent  voice,  while  his  powers 
of  song  were  of  no  mean  order. 

On  his  return  to  South  Carolina  he  became  a  leader 
among  his  brethren  there.  He  was  a  great  reader,  and 
kept  himself  fully  informed  on  the  great  topics  of  the  day. 

On  the  17th  of  February,  1SS5,  he  arose,  and,  after 
leading  in  family  worship  with  more  than  ordinary 
unction  and  fervor,  he  ate  a  hearty  breakfast  and 
walked  out  into  the  garden  alone,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments after  was  found  dead.  Like  Moses,  he  died 
alone. 

There  were  three  other  men  who  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  Pacific,  who  had  not  arrived,  but  who  re- 
ceived appointments  at  this  first  Conference,  whose 
names  deserve  mention  in  this  connection — A.  Graham, 
J.  M.Jones,  and  John  Matthews. 

Alexander  Graham,  we  believe,  came  to  us  from  the 
Florida  Conference.  He  reached  California  a  few 
weeks  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Conference.  He 
had  been  appointed  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Sacramento 
District.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  he  began  his 
work.  He  was  young  and  vigorous,  and  at  once  adapt- 
ed himself  to  the  exigencies  of  our  work,  and,  shoul- 
dering his  saddle-bags,  went  forth  on  foot,  threading 
our  plains  and  climbing  our  mountains,  breasting  the 
storms  of  winter  and  breathing  the  dust  of  our  dry 
summers.  He  sometimes  traveled  in  the  stage  or  on 
a  steamboat,  but  much  of  his  first  year's  travel  was 
done  on  foot. 


ioo  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

At  Yankee  Jim's  there  is  a  deep  canyon  called  "The 
Devil's  Canyon."  Upon  one  occasion  the  stage-coach, 
drawn  by  four  horses,  and  full  of  passengers — Brother 
Graham  among  them — was  rushing  down  the  mount- 
ain-side, without  lock  or  brake.  The  night  being 
pitchy  dark,  it  went  into  the  canyon,  turning  com- 
pletely over,  end  for  end,  with  an  awful  crash.  Strange 
to  say,  none  were  killed,  but  all  were  more  or  less 
bruised,  and  some  bones  were  broken.  Brother  Gra- 
ham received  several  severe  cuts  about  the  head,  but 
he  was  up  the  next  day,  and  held  his  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence. 

He  was  stationed  at  Sacramento  and  at  San  Jose, 
when,  after  a  few  years  with  us,  he  returned  to  the 
Georgia  Conference,  and  filled  some  of  the  best  ap- 
pointments in  it.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he  went 
back  to  Florida,  and,  immediately  after  the  war,  went 
North  and  joined  the  New  York  East  Conference. 
He  returned  to  California  a  few  months  ago,  and  was 
present  at  the  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  in  Sac- 
ramento, in  1885.  It  was  thought  he  would  apply  for 
re-admission,  but  for  some  cause  he  did  not.  The  Con- 
ference had  undergone  an  entire  change.  But  few  fa- 
miliar faces  greeted  him,  and  these  overshadowed  with 
gray  hairs  and  marred  with  age-marks.  With  a  tinge 
of  sadness  in  his  tone,  in  looking  round  over  the  body, 
he  said:  "These  preachers  do  not  know  Joseph." 

He  was  ever  a  hard  student.  His  illustrations  were 
sometimes  quaint,  but  the  matter  always  good. 

J.  M.  Jones,  though  transferred  and  receiving  an  ap- 
pointment, failed  to  come,  and  was  retransferred. 

John  Matthews  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June 
13,  1826,  and   removed    to  Tennessee  in   his  thirteenth 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  ioi 

year.  He  was  converted  at  fifteen,  and  joined  the  New 
School  Presbyterian  Church.  After  six  months  he 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  in  No- 
vember, 1846.  After  traveling  six  years  in  that  Con- 
ference he  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  California,  and 
at  the  first  session  was  appointed  to  Shasta.  Arriving 
soon  after  Conference  closed,  he  repaired  to  his  new 
field. 

He  had  been  beloved  in  his  own  Conference.  The 
people  petted  him,  and  when  he  left  his  home  for  Cal- 
ifornia, each  vied  with  the  other  in  the  manifestations 
of  their  love  and  esteem.  Shasta  was  in  the  mines, 
with  a  rough,  reckless  population.  There  was  no  one 
to  welcome  him,  no  one  to  advise  him,  no  one  to  sym- 
pathize with  him.  Seated  upon  a  rude  bench  on  the 
outside  of  the  hotel,  his  heart  breaking  for  the  longing 
that  was  possessing  him,  a  miner  saw  the  seams  of  sad- 
ness in  his  face,  and  approaching  him,  said:  "Stran- 
ger, come  in  and  take  something  to  drink.'' 

He  said:  "  I  never  drink." 

The  fellow  whirled  upon  his  heel,  and  rushing  to  the 
door  of  the  crowded  bar-room,  shouted:  "Boys,  come 
out  here  and  see  a  man  in  California  that  says  he 
never  drinks." 

No  one  looked  after  his  wants.  His  finances  were 
getting  low.  And  one  day,  seated  in  his  lonely  room, 
with  a  box  of  sardines  and  a  few  crackers  for  his  meal, 
he  determined  to  leave  Shasta — and  he  did.  His  breth- 
ren sympathized  with  him,  and  had  no  words  of  re- 
proof for  him.  He  was  sent  to  Sacramento,  and  did 
us  good  work  in  that  city.  He  drew  crowded  houses. 
He  had  a  way  of  finding  out  what  was  said  and  done 


io2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

by  his  ecclesiastical  enemies,  and  on  Sunday  evenings, 
in  his  public  prayer,  he  would  tell  the  Lord  all  that 
was  said  and  done.  Others  than  the  Lord  heard  these 
petitions,  and  some  that  did  not  hear  them  heard  of 
them,  and  the  result  was  good.  He  left  us  the  next 
year,  and  has  been  a  power  in  our  Church  wherever 
he  has  labored.  He  was  an  earnest,  brilliant  preacher. 
His  sermons  abounded  in  the  most  striking  figures  and 
beautiful  sentences.  It  was  an  intellectual  as  well  as 
spiritual  treat  to  hear  him. 

The  statistics  of  the  Church,  as  reported  at  this  firsw 
session,  were  as  follows:  Presiding  Elders'  Districts,  2; 
Circuits  and  Stations,  20;  Numbers  in  Society,  294; 
Local  Preachers,  7;  Sunday-schools,  7;  Sunday- 
school  Scholars,  192;  Superintendents,  *]\  Teachers, 
22;  Volumes  in  Library,  536;  amount  collected  for 
Sunday-schools,  $125;  amount  collected  for  Missions, 
$731.  This  was  exclusively  missionary  collections,  and 
not  counted  in  the  amount  paid  in  support  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. Houses  of  Worship,  10;  Parsonages,  6; 
Schools,  2  in  operation,  and  2  waiting  the  arrival  of 
teachers.     We  also  give  the  list  of  Appointments: 

San  Francisco  District. — John  W.  Kelly,  P.  E. ;  San 
Francisco,  Joseph  S.  Malone,  Morris  Evans;  San  Jose, 
Alexander  M.  Wynn;  Principal  of  Bascom  Institute, 
A.  M.  Wynn;  Sonoma,  Elijah  B.  Lockley;  Bodega,  to 
be  supplied;  Benicia  and  Martinez,  Dennis  B.  Leyne; 
Stockton,  Andrew  M.  Bailey;  Stockton  Academy,  to 
be  supplied;  Mariposa,  John  M.  Jones;  Sonora  and 
Columbia,  Win.  H.  Long;  Wood's  Diggings,  Adam 
Minear. 

Sacramento  District. — Alexander  Graham,  P.  E. ; 
Sacramento,  Wm.  R.  Gober;  Asbury  Institute,  Sacra- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  103 

mento  City,  W.  R.  Gober;  Marysville,  Wm.  A.  Sim- 
mons; Shasta  City,  John  Matthews;  Nevada,  John  F. 
Blythe;  Grass  Valley,  John  C.  Simmons;  Auburn, 
James  M.  Fulton;  Georgetown,  to  be  supplied;  Green 
Woods,  supply;  Nashville,  Solomon  W.  Davies;  Jack- 
sonville, to  be  supplied;  Angels,  M.  M.  Moore. 

David  W.  Pollock,  superannuated.     Cyprian  Gridley 
left  without  an  appointment  at  his  own  request. 


io4  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  III. 

>HESE  preachers  went  forth  with  a  firm  purpose 
to  devote  all  their  energies  to  the  grand  work  to 
which  God  and  the  Church  had  called  them. 
Most  of  them  were  young  men,  with  but  a  few  years  of 
experience  in  the  ministry,  and  that  experience  among 
scenes  widely  different  from  those  now  surrounding 
them.  Instead  of  going  to  churches  already  built,  with 
well-organized  boards  of  stewards  and  sympathizing 
Societies  ready  to  welcome  them,  they  were  to  go  among 
strangers — men  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  whose 
main  object  was  the  accumulation  of  gold — who  had  no 
interest  in  California,  save  as  it  satisfied  their  greed  for 
gain.  They  were  going  to  a  shifting,  excitable  popu- 
lace, who  would  scarcely  take  time,  even  on  the  Sab- 
bath, to  listen  to  what  they  had  to  say. 

But  they  adapted  themselves  to  the  situation.  They 
preached  under  the  trees,  in  the  miners'  cabins,  in  sa- 
loons, bar-rooms  of  hotels,  ten-pin  alleys,  and  gam- 
bling-houses. To  illustrate:  Upon  one  occasion,  when 
W.  A.  Simmons  was  preaching  in  a  ten-pin  alley  in 
El  Dorado  County,  a  man  in  passing  heard  the  unusual 
sound  of  sacred  song  in  this  place.  He  stopped,  and, 
turning  to  a  man,  said: 

"What's  up?" 

"  There  is  a  man  preaching  in  the  alley." 

When  he  remarked: 

"  Well,  boys,  you  may  say  what  you  please  about  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  105 

wickedness  of  Californians,  but  they  are  better  than 
the  Jews  were  in  the  days  of  Jesus  Christ;  for  then 
they  made  the  house  of  God  a  den  of  thieves,  but  now 
they  are  making  a  den  of  thieves  the  house  of  God." 

These  men  would  enter  a  mining  town  or  camp, 
and  as  the  saloons  were  usually  the  largest  buildings  or 
tents  in  town,  they  would  ask  the  privilege  of  preach- 
ing in  them — a  request  that  we  never  heard  refused. 
Boxes  and  boards  would  be  arranged  for  seats.  A  few 
old  empty  bottles  would  be  used  as  candlesticks;  a  ta- 
ble covered  with  a  blanket,  usually  used  as  a  card-table, 
would  supply  the  place  of  a  pulpit;  and  thus,  when 
every  thing  was  arranged,  and  the  miners  had  finished 
their  suppers,  the  preacher  would  take  a  hand-bell,  or 
Chinese  gong,  and,  taking  his  stand  in  front  of  the 
house  or  tent,  would  ring  his  bell  or  beat  his  gong  for 
a  few  minutes,  when  his  congregation  would  assemble, 
and  after  singing  some  old  familiar  hymn,  in  which  many 
of  his  congregation  would  join,  he  would  pray  and  then 
preach  to  them  the  word  of  life.  They  made  it  a  point 
to  follow  the  crowd  with  the  cross.  They  did  not 
wait  for  opportunities — they  made  them.  The  minis- 
trations of  these  men  were  almost  always  treated  with 
the  greatest  respect.  These  strangers,  in  the  rough 
garb  of  miners,  wicked  as  sin,  would  nevertheless  fight 
for  the  preacher,  were  he  disturbed  or  insulted. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  upon  one  occasion  was 
engaged  in  preaching  in  a  mining  town  that  had  just 
been  destroyed  by  fire.  A  large  crowd  had  collected 
about  him,  and  were  listening  attentively,  when  a  half- 
drunken  man  saw  the  crowd  and  approached  it.  As 
he  came  near,  he  broke  out  in  a  bacchanalian  song,  and 
when  within  a  few  feet  of  the  preacher  stopped,  and, 


io6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

after  looking  at  him  for  a  time,  asked  him  what  he  was 
doing,  in  no  very  polite  or  chaste  language.  The 
preacher  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  went  on  with 
his  discourse.  Then  with  an  air  of  offended  dignity, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Won't  you  speak  to  a  fellow  ? "  As 
the  j^reacher  still  paid  no  attention  to  him,  he  broke 
out  into  oaths,  cursing  with  every  sentence.  After  a 
time  he  drew  forth  a  short-stemmed  pipe,  and  said,  "  I 
reckon  this  is  a  good  place  to  smoke,  ain't  it?"  and  pro- 
ceeded to  load  and  light  it.  When  he  had  fired  up,  he 
took  his  stand  again  in  front  of  the  preacher,  and  threw 
in  remarks  from  time  to  time  as  the  discourse  proceed- 
ed. When  the  benediction  was  pronounced,  several 
gentlemen  approached  the  man,  and,  taking  him  by  the 
collar,  proceeded  to  march  him  off,  saying,  "  We'll 
teach  you  some  manners. "  But  the  preacher  inter- 
fered and  prevented  any  violence.  Drunk  as  the  man 
was,  he  appreciated  the  kindness  of  the  man  he  had 
wantonly  insulted,  and  it  finally  led  to  his  entire  ref- 
ormation. 

At  this  early  day  stage-travel  was  very  dear,  and 
horse-feed  high,  and  but  few  of  these  preachers  could 
afford  to  either  use  a  stage  or  own  a  horse  on  which  to 
travel  to  their  appointments,  and  hence  they  very  fre- 
quently went  on  foot — the  presiding  elder  with  his 
saddle-bags,  containing  Bible,  Hymn-book,  Discipline, 
and  a  change  of  linen,  thrown  over  his  shoulders;  the 
preacher  who  was  going  to  some  adjacent  camp  to 
preach  and  return,  with  simply  a  cane  in  hand.  A 
walk  of  ten,  fifteen,  or  even  twenty  miles,  to  fill 
an  appointment,  was  no  uncommon  thing.  They 
loved  the  souls  of  men,  they  loved  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  they  at  once  adapted   themselves   to 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  107 

this  new  order  of  things,  and  counted  no  hardship  too 
great  if  they  might  succeed  in  their  blessed  work.  The 
miners  appreciated  this  devotion  upon  the  part  of  these 
men  of  God,  and  they  gave  them  a  most  respectful 
hearing,  and  were  ever  ready  to  contribute  their  "  dust" 
to  their  support.  Frequently  they  would  volunteer  to 
take  a  collection  for  this  object.  In  illustration,  two 
of  our  preachers  visited  a  mining  camp,  secured  a  large 
gambling-house,  with  a  saloon  attachment,  as  a  place 
in  which  to  preach.  They  stood  behind  the  counter 
while  the  promiscuous  audience  of  men  (not  a  woman 
present)  sat  round  on  the  gambling-tables,  boxes,  and 
benches  that  were  scattered  around  the  room,  while  a 
few  squatted  around  with  their  backs  against  the  wall, 
and  others  stood.  During  the  entire  service  the  great- 
est silence  prevailed,  and  the  most  respectful  atten- 
tion was  given  to  the  preaching.  At  its  conclu- 
sion, just  as  the  preacher  was  about  to  say,  "  Receive 
the  benediction,"  "  Uncle  Jim,"  as  he  was  called,  the 
owner  of  the  establishment,  sprang  down  off  a  table 
and  said,  "Hold  on!  Boys,  these  men  ought  not  to 
preach  to  us  for  nothing."  And  with  that,  taking  his 
hat,  he  went  the  rounds,  sometimes  saying,  facetious- 
ly, "Ante!  "  He  then  came  up  to  the  counter,  and 
with  something  of  a  flourish,  poured  out  the  pile  of  sil- 
ver, which  amounted  to  over  thirty  dollars.  Hotel- 
keepers  but  seldom  charged  the  preacher  for  staying 
with  them,  and  he  was  always  a  welcome  guest  in  the 
cabin  of  the  miner.  And  after  a  tramp  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  over  mountains,  breathing  the  sweet,  fresh 
air  of  that  exalted  latitude,  the  "  Chili  beans "  and 
tough  "  flapjacks,"  the  staple  diet  of  the  miners,  was  a 
rich  feast  to  him. 


io8  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

During  this  year,  and  a  few  following  years,  the  great 
body  of  the  population  of  California  was  in  the  mines, 
and  hence  we  confined  our  labors  necessarily  to  them; 
but  we  soon  began  to  see  that  it  would  not  be  many 
years  until  the  "  placer  "  mines  would  be  worked  out, 
and  then  the  mountains  would  be  in  a  measure  aban- 
doned. The  rich  valleys,  that  were  now  used  merely  as 
pasture-lands  for  vast  herds  of  stock,  would  be  brought 
into  cultivation,  and  the  population  would  shift  from 
the  mountains  to  the  plains.  We  began  to  adapt  our- 
selves to  this  order  of  things.  Already  we  had  men  sta- 
tioned in  the  principal  cities,  and  soon  we  commenced 
forming  circuits  in  the  valleys. 

The  strongest  opposition  we  met  with  was  from  the 
people  of  the  North.  Because  this  was  a  "  free  "  State 
they  felt  it  belonged  legitimately  to  them,  and  that  we 
were  intruders.  The  cry  was  raised  against  us  every- 
where that  we  were  a  pro-slavery  Church,  and  that 
our  presence  boded  no  good  to  the  State.  In  public 
and  in  private  we  had  to  meet  the  charges  and  insinua- 
tions made  against  us. 

Just  about  this  time  the  anti-slavery  feeling  of  the 
North  reached  its  highest  point  of  intensity,  fired  by 
"The  Irrepressible  Conflict,"  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
and  similar  works,  which  moved  almost  every  North- 
ern Methodist  Conference  to  pass  the  strongest  resolu- 
tions on  the  subject.  This  tide  of  fanaticism,  heaved 
up  in  the  North,  came  pulsing  all  over  the  valleys  and 
amid  the  mountains  of  California,  exciting  and  stirring 
the  passions  of  men.  The  very  word  South  attached 
to  our  name  identified  us  with  the  "great  evil,"  and  we 
had  ever  to  be  explaining  why  we  bore  this  name,  and 
why  we  were  here  in  this  free  State.     We  found  it  an 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


;oq. 


exceedingly  difficult  task  to  get  men  to  see  that  our 
branch  of  the  Church  was  non-sectional;  that  we  con- 
fined ourselves  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  alone, 
leaving  "the  potsherds  of  earth  to  strive  with  the  pot- 
sherds of  earth."  Our  grand  business  was  to  get  men 
to  be  religious,  no  matter  what  their  political  views 
might  be.  As  ministers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we 
claimed  the  right,  and  felt  it  to  be  our  duty,  to  go  wher- 
ever man  was  found,  and  tell  him  of  a  Redeemer  who 
died  to  save  him.  We  labored  to  convince  men  that 
ours,  above  all  others,  was  the  kind  of  Church  that  this 
world  needed.  Men,  whatever  political  views  they 
might  hold,  whatever  nationality  they  might  claim, 
could  worship  at  our  altar  and  receive  religious  instruc- 
tion at  our  hands.  Ours  was  pre-eminently  a  non- 
political  Church,  and  hence  better  adapted  than  any 
other  for  such  a  country  as  this.  The  constant  agita- 
tion of  political  questions  in  the  Church,  which  aroused 
sectional  feelings  both  North  and  South,  stirring  the 
passions  of  men,  injuring  their  spirituality,  and  wound- 
ing the  body  of  Christ,  was  the  great  moving  cause  of 
the  separation.  The  cry  for  peace  among  the  more 
conservative  of  all  parts  of  the  Church  did  not,  could 
not,  stop  the  constant  agitation.  So  in  the  interests  of 
that  peace  we  could  not  have  while  together,  we  asked 
for,  and  obtained,  an  amicable  separation  in  1844.  In 
good  faith  the  Church  in  the  South  organized  for  a 
separate  and  distinct  ecclesiastical  government,  and, 
smarting  from  their  late  experience,  laid  broad  and 
deep  the  grand  principle  of  a  non- sectional,  non-politi- 
cal Church.  And  when  thousands  of  our  own  mem- 
bers came  to  California  we  came  with  them,  and,  open- 
ing wide  the  doors,  invited  all  who  desired  to  worship 


no  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

God  in  sincerity  and  truth  to  enter,  and  we  would  labor 
with  an  eye  single  to  the  glory  ot  God  to  give  them  a 
quiet  home.  We  were  misrepresented  and  misunder- 
stood almost  everywhere.  Yet  we  were  not  discour- 
aged, nor  did  any  of  these  things  move  us.  We  knew 
we  were  right,  and  we  knew  that  there  was  deep  down 
in  the  inner  consciousness  of  men  a  desire  for  a  Church 
wholly  religious,  and  that  while  there  was  that  in  their 
carnal  nature  that  was  gratified  in  hearing  a  minister 
advocate  in  the  pulpit  the  peculiar  views  held,  yet, 
when  reduced  to  the  last  analysis,  they  wanted  the 
robes  of  religious  profession  kept  unspotted  from  the 
world.  And  with  this  conviction  fixed  firmly  in  their 
minds  and  hearts,  this  little  band,  known  now  as  the 
Pacific  Conference,  went  forth  to  preach  peace  to  the 
excited  thousands  that  had  crowded  to  our  shores. 
They  went  into  the  cities  where  all  was  stir  and  bustle, 
into  the  mines  where  fortunes  were  being  dug  out  in  a 
few  days,  and  yet  they  never  thought  of  turning  aside 
to  enter  the  lists  for  worldly  gain,  but  held  undeviat- 
ingly  to  the  grand  work  to  which  they  felt  called  of 
God. 

When  the  year's  labors  were  done,  and  they  assem- 
bled in  the  city  of  San  Jose  to  count  over  the  spoils 
won  for  the  Redeemer  and  his  Church,  they  reported 
568  members — an  increase  of  274;  local  preachers,  20 
— an  increase  of  13;  of  church-buildings,  16 — an  in- 
crease of  6.  Many  of  these  members  were  converts 
from  the  world.  In  one  thing  we  were  greatly  disap- 
pointed. We  had  a  right  to  expect  that  every  man 
who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  in 
the  older  States  would  unite  with  the  Church  here  and 
give    it    his  help;    but  in  this  we  were  disappointed. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  hi 

Hundreds  of  them  felt  no  interest  in  California  beyond 
what  gold  they  could  take  from  its  mountains.  They 
claimed  to  hold  their  membership  at  home,  and  left  us 
to  struggle  on  without  their  help.  We  knew  this 
course  to  be  fraught  with  danger  to  themselves;  and 
the  spiritual  wrecks  that  strewed  this  coast  for  years 
proved  the  folly  of  their  course. 

The  second  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  was 
held  in  the  city  of  San  Jose,  April  13-20,  1853,  Bishop 
Joshua  Soule,  the  senior  Bishop  of  the  Church,  in  the 
chair.  At  9  o'clock  a.m.  the  Bishop  proceeded  to  open 
the  Conference  by  reading  a  portion  of  Scripture,  sing- 
ing that  grand  old  opening  hymn,  "And  are  we  yet 
alive?"  and  prayer.  This  prayer  was  most  comprehen- 
sive, and  deeply  spiritual  in  its  nature.  We  felt  that 
we  had  the  leadership  of  one  who  knew  the  way  to 
the  "hidings"  of  God's  power — one  who  could,  and 
did,  enter  fully  with  us  into  the  peculiar  struggles  nec- 
essary to  planting  pure  Christianity  amid  this  Babel 
population.  His  prayer  touched  the  innermost  chords 
of  our  nature,  and  drew  us  nearer  to  God. 

Upon  calling  the  roll,  the  following  members  an- 
swered to  their  names:  Jesse  Boring,  A.  M.  Bailey,  J. 
F.  Blythe,  M.  Evans,  J.  M.  Fulton,  A.  Graham,  D.  B. 
Leyne,  John  Matthews,  W.  A.  Simmons,  J.  C.  Sim- 
mons, and  A.  M.  Wynn.  Other  members  of  the  Con- 
ference came  in  at  a  later  date. 

Bishop  Soule  then  requested  those  preachers  who 
had  been  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference  since  its 
last  session  to  present  their  certificates  of  transfer, 
whereupon  the  following  brethren  presented  them- 
selves and  certificates  to  the  Conference,  and  their 
names  were  added   to  the  list  of  members — viz.,  John 


ii2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

H.  Bristow,  Jefferson  C.  Pendergrast,  Benjamin  H. 
Russell,  John  L.  Saunders,  Pettis  O.  Clayton,  and  Rob- 
ert W.  Bigham.  Benjamin  T.  Crouch  presented  him- 
self as  transferred  by  Bishop  Soule,  having  been  one 
year  on  trial,  and  he  was  received  and  continued  on 
trial  in  the  Conference. 

Bishop  Soule  then  requested  the  Secretary  to  read 
the  full  Minutes  of  the  former  session,  after  which  he 
addressed  the  Conference  in  a  most  touching  and  happy 
manner,  alluding  to  the  magnitude  and  importance, 
present  and  prospective,  of  our  work  in  California,  and 
particularly  of  his  great  desire  to  visit  and  see  the 
brethren  in  this  far-off  field,  and  the  reason  that  prompt- 
ed and  urged  his  coming. 

Bishop  Soule  was  at  this  time  in  his  seventy-third 
year,  and  was  thought  too  old  to  undertake  so  arduous 
a  trip  as  to  visit  the  Pacific.  But  he  persisted,  and 
when  told  by  some  of  his  anxious  friends  that  he  might 
die  on  the  way,  he  said:  "If  I  die  in  the  discharge  of 
duty,  it  matters  not  where;  it  matters  not  zv/ien."  Be- 
ginning his  labors  as  a  Methodist  preacher  in  the  State 
of  Maine,  it  was  no  unholy  ambition  that  he  should  de- 
sire to  stand  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  in  California, 
and  preach  the  same  grand  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God 
that  he  had  preached  in,  perhaps,  every  other  State  of 
the  Union.  He  came  among  us  as  a  father,  and  we 
looked  to  him  for  guidance  in  this  new  and  arduous 
field  upon  which  we  had  entered. 

A.  M.  Wynn,  the  Secretary  of  the  former  Confer- 
ence, was  re-elected.  The  usual  committees  of  an  An- 
nual Conference  were  created,  and  the  Conference  was 
ready  for  its  work.  In  answer  to  Question  i — "  Who 
are  admitted  on  trial  this  vear?" — the  Rev.    A.  Graham, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast  113 

Presiding  Elder  of  the  Sacramento  District,  presented 
the  recommendation  of  Franklin  G.  Gray,  from  the 
Angels  Circuit.  After  his  case  was  fully  considered, 
he  was,  by  vote,  admitted  on  trial.  This  was  the  only 
candidate  this  year. 

Brother  Gray  was  born  in  Deal,  England;  came  to 
the  United  States  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  and  was 
reared  mostly  in  New  York.  He  came  to  California 
in  1848  with  the  first  tide  of  gold-hunters  that  set  to 
our  shores.  He  was  then  a  wild,  wicked  boy,  and  at 
once  plunged  into  all  the  reckless  dissipations  peculiar 
to  early  California  life.  At  a  camp  -  meeting  held 
in  Napa  Valley,  in  185 1,  he  was  converted  to  God, 
and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (North). 
In  1852  the  Rev.  E.  B.  Lockley  organized  the  Sonoma 
Circuit  of  our  Church.  Brother  Gray  was  led  to  in- 
vestigate the  questions  of  difference  between  ours  and 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (North).  He  at  once 
saw  the  righteousness  of  our  position,  as  well  as  its 
scripturalness,  and  he  came  to  us  in  all  the  ardor  of  his 
enthusiastic  nature — a  step  which  he  never  regretted. 
In  the  fall  of  1852  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Sonoma  Circuit,  J.  W. 
Kelly  being  presiding  elder  of  the  district.  This  was 
the  first  preacher  licensed  by  our  Church  on  this 
coast.  Soon  after  receiving  license  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  Murphy  Circuit  by  the  presiding  elder.  He 
served  this  charge  until  the  session  of  the  Pacific  Con- 
ference alluded  to,  when  he  was  received  on  trial,  and 
appointed  to  Georgetown  Circuit.  In  1855  he  was  or- 
dained deacon  by  Bishop  Andrew,  and  in  1857,  elder, 
by  Bishop  Kavanaugh.  During  this  year  he  married 
Miss  Mirenna  Cox,  the  daughter  of  a  local  preacher 
S 


ii4 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


on  the  Cacheville  Circuit.  His  last  charge  was  trie 
Vaca  and  Putah  Circuit.  In  the  fall  of  i860  he  en- 
tered with  zeal  and  energy  characteristic  of  his  nature 
on  his  work.  On  December  31  he  was  taken  suddenly 
and  violently  ill,  and  on  the  next  day,  Jan.  1,  1861,  he 
ceased  at  once  to  work  and  live. 

Brother  Gray  was  a  diligent  student,  and  made 
marked  and  continued  progress  in  theological  acquisi- 
tions and  pulpit  efficiency.  His  piety  was  fervent;  his 
devotion  to  the  itinerant  ministry  was  uncalculating  and 
entire.  He  was  faithful  to  his  holy  calling,  beloved  by 
his  brethren.     He  left  the  savor  of  a  good  name. 

M.  M.  Moore  was  discontinued  at  this  Conference. 
He  was  from  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  sweet-spirited, 
earnest  man.  Pie  had  left  his  family  at  home,  and  de- 
sired to  return  and  bring  them  out,  but  from  some  cause 
did  not  come  back  to  us.  He  entered  the  communion 
of  another  Church. 

Adam  Minear  was  discontinued  by  action  of  the 
Conference.  The  character  of  this  man  was  arrested 
by  his  presiding  elder  during  the  year.  He  was  proved 
to  be  dishonest,  and  was  expelled  from  the  Church. 

Thus  all  three  of  the  recruits  from  California  during 
the  first  session  of  the  Conference  were  lost  to  us. 

Of  W.  H.  Long,  alias  W.  H.  Ives,  we  have  spoken 
before.  He  claimed  to  be  engaged  to  a  most  estimable 
young  lady  in  the  East,  and  wanted  money  to  send  for 
her.  The  Finance  Committee,  in  their  Southern  gen- 
erosity, appropriated  four  hundred  dollars  for  that  wor- 
thy purpose.  The  money  was  advanced  to  him.  The 
discovery  was  soon  made  that  he  was  not  what  he  pro- 
fessed to  be.  His  presiding  elder  called  a  committee  of 
traveling  preachers,  in  August,  to  meet  in   Sonora  for 


Ox  the  Pacific  -Coast.  115 

an  investigation.  From  letters  introduced  by  Long  at 
this  trial,  it  was  discovered,  from  erasures  and  sub- 
stitutions made  by  him,  that  this  woman  was  his  wife, 
and  that  he  had  deceived  the  Conference.  Other  facts 
of  an  equally  damaging  character  were  elicited  at  this 
trial,  and  he  was  suspended  till  the  sitting  of  the  An- 
nual Conference,  when  he  was  expelled  from  the  Con- 
ference and  from  the  communion  of  the  Church. 

C.  Gridley,  having  become  hopelessly  involved  finan- 
cially, asked  for,  and  was  granted,  a  location. 

J.  W.  Kelly  had  been  appointed  at  the  first  session  to 
preach  a  sermon  on  the  ministry  at  this  session.  The  day 
before,  M.  Evans  and  A.  M.  Bailey  introduced  a  resolu- 
tion to  the  effect  "  that  we  will  observe  to-morrow  as  a 
day  of  fasting,  and  prayer,  and  humiliation  before  God, 
and  that  we  request  the  Committee  on  Public  Worship 
to  appoint  Brother  Kelly  to  preach,  as  per  order  of  last 
Conference,  a  sermon  on  the  ministry,  at  3  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon." 

Thus  did  these  brethren  feel  and  acknowledge  their 
dependence  on  God.  On  the  following  day  J-  W.  Kellv 
preached  an  earnest,  searching  sermon,  and  all  felt  like 
taking  fresh  courage  and  pressing  on  in  their  glorious 
calling. 

B.  T.  Crouch,  jr.,  who  had  accompanied  Bishop  Soule 
to  the  coast,  having  been  two  years  on  trial,  was  elected 
to  deacon's  orders,  and  admitted  into  full  connection. 
He  was  the  first  preacher  ordained  in  our  Conference. 
He  was  the  son  of  the  famous  preacher  of  the  same 
name  belonging  to  the  Kentucky  Conference.  He 
came  to  California  under  a  strong  conviction  of  duty 
and  in  the  true  spirit  of  self-sacrifice.  But  to  one  of 
his  ardent,   enthusiastic   nature,  it   was  not  an  inviting 


n6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

field.  He  was  disappointed  in  many  respects.  He 
found  men  too  full  of  the  love  of  gold  to  stop  and  listen 
to  the  self-denying  requirements  of  the  gospel.  Men 
who  had  once  been  leaders  in  the  Church  of  God  in 
the  home  of  their  childhood,  in  the  whirl  and  excite- 
ment of  California  society,  tried  even  to  forget  their  ob- 
ligations, and  many  of  them  even  joined  the  ranks  of 
Christ's  enemies.  The  faithful  few  who  visited  the 
house  of  God  were  not  enough  in  number  to  fire  his 
enthusiasm  or  rouse  him  as  was  his  wont.  Neverthe- 
less he  tried  to  adapt  himself  to  his  surroundings,  and 
went  to  his  first  charge — Benicia  and  Martinez.  He 
continued  on  this  work  until  Sacramento  was  left  with- 
out a  preacher  by  the  return  to  the  East  of  John  Mat- 
thews, when  he  was  sent  to  that  station.  The  city  was 
still  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  disastrous  fire  of 
November,  1852,  and  of  the  flood  that  followed  this  fire 
in  the  winter.  Every  church,  save  one,  had  been  de- 
stroyed, and  nearly  all  the  homes  and  houses  of  busi- 
ness had  been  laid  in  ashes;  and  then  the  sites  swept  the 
following  winter  with  a  flood.  Only  that  indomita- 
ble spirit  that  characterized  our  early  struggles  sustained 
her  devoted  people  in  these  accumulating  disasters. 
The  young  and  buoyant  preacher  caught  the  spirit  of 
the  occasion  and  the  times,  and  went  to  work  with  a 
will  and  an  energy  that  were  well  calculated  to  insure 
success.  He  collected  a  subscription,  and  during  the 
year  had  erected  on  our  lot  the  basement  of  a  substan- 
tial brick  church. 

The  following  year  he  was  returned  to  Sacramento, 
and  was  soon  after  happily  married  to  a  most  estimable 
young  widow — Mrs.  M.  E.  Bailey.  The  next  year  he 
was  sent  to  San  Jose  Station.     He  labored  through  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  117 

year  without  apparent  fruit,  but  near  its  close  a  camp- 
meeting  was  held  in  the  foot  -hills  west  of  San  Jose 
some  eight  miles,  at  the  Saratoga  Camp-ground,  then 
called  the  "  Toll-gate."  This  meeting  resulted  in  a  most 
glorious  revival  of  religion.  Very  many  precious  souls 
were  converted,  and  the  station  as  well  as  the  surround- 
ing circuit  was  greatly  strengthened. 

Soon  after  this  Brother  Crouch  was  elected  Chaplain 
of  the  State  Senate  at  Sacramento,  a  position  which  he 
had  filled  while  stationed  there  the  previous  year.  This 
election  abruptly  terminated  his  connection  with  the 
San  Jose  Station.  He  was  very  popular  as  chaplain, 
and  made  many  warm  friends  among  the  members  of 
both  Houses  of  the  Legislature,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
session  he  was  presented  with  a  beautiful  manzanita 
cane,  with  a  massive  gold  head,  in  which  was  a  setting 
of  gold-bearing  quartz,  bearing  an  appropriate  inscrip- 
tion. At  the  next  session  of  the  Conference,  in  1856, 
he  transferred  to  the  Memphis  Conference.  But  he 
never  lost  interest  in  our  work  on  this  coast.  Often 
did  his  heart  turn  with  fond  desire  to  our  sunny  clime, 
and  he  watched  with  interest  all  the  struggles  of  our 
faithful  little  band. 

While  it  lies  outside  of  the  plans  of  this  work  to 
speak  in  detail  of  the  labors  of  those  who  were  once 
connected  with  our  Conference  in  other  portions  of 
the  Church,  yet  we  desire  to  speak  of  one  more  fact  to 
show  the  character  of  this  brother,  and  his  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  the  Redeemer. 

He  was  stationed  in  Aberdeen,  Mississippi.  Here 
he  found  the  Church  in  a  condition  that  excited  his 
deepest  solicitude.  The  house  in  which  our  people 
worshiped  was   in  a   dilapidated   condition.     It  was  a 


nS  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

very  inferior  building,  although  the  membership  was 
large  and  wealthy,  as  well  as  cultured  and  refined. 
He  soon  discovered  that  several  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers were  accustomed  to  indulge  in  gross  violation  of 
the  discipline  of  the  Church.  He  saw  that  nothing 
but  a  mighty  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  could  effect  the 
change  he  saw  necessary  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
charge.  He  consulted  with  two  or  three  of  his  most 
faithful  stewards,  and  they  decided  to  make  it  a  subject 
of  earnest,  especial  prayer — in  their  closets  they  would 
pray  at  six  in  the  morning  and  at  six  in  the  evening. 
At  noon  they  would  meet  in  the  pastor's  study  and 
unite  their  petitions.  They  agreed  to  pursue  this  course 
for  six  weeks,  and  then  begin  a  protracted-meeting. 
Faithfully  they  kept  their  covenant,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  third  week  inquirers  came  to  the  prayer-meeting, 
and  on  the  following  Sunday  penitents  came  unbidden 
to  the  altar.  The  revival  began  and  grew  in  power 
for  over  three  weeks.  All-  this  time  Brother  Crouch, 
with  no  ministerial  help,  feeble  in  health,  conducted 
the  meeting.  He  could  do  but  little  preaching — in  fact, 
but  little  seemed  necessary.  The  meeting  resulted  in 
140  bright  conversions,  besides  a  work  among  the 
membership  of  the  Church  that  could  not  be  estimated 
in  figures.  It  is  only  necessary  to  add,  a  fine  brick 
church  was  soon  erected  by  willing  hands  and  glad 
hearts. 

In  1S61,  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  the  most  of 
the  young  men  of  his  charge  enlisted,  and  he  took  a 
chaplaincy  of  their  regiment.  Being  fully  persuaded 
of  the  righteousness  of  the  cause  for  which  the  South 
fought,  it  was  like  him  to  throw  all  the  powers  of  his 
ardent  soul  into  it.     But  he  did   not  think  that  his  call- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


119 


ing  admitted  of  his  bearing  arms  or  entering  the  con- 
flict personally.  His  duty  was  to  follow  the  fortunes 
of  his  fellow-soldiers,  and  administer  to  them  the  con- 
solations of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  He  was  soon  pro- 
moted to  the  chaplaincy  of  a  brigade,  in  which  posi- 
tion his  duties  became  more  arduous  and  sreneral. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  1S63,  in  a  sharply-contested 
engagement  at  Spring  Hill,  Tennessee,  while  respond- 
ing to  a  call  from  a  distressed  officer  to  rally  his  men, 
who  had  twice  recoiled  from  a  charge,  as  he  stood  up 
in  his  stirrups  and  eloquently  appealed  to  their  chiv- 
alry, he  was  shot  through  the  knee,  and  died  of  hem- 
orrhage in  twenty  minutes.  Thus  went  down  the 
noble,  generous,  impulsive  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  jr., 
amid  the  shouts  of  battle. 

Of  the  six  brethren  who  were  received  by  transfer 
at  this  session  of  our  Conference  four  are  still  alive, 
while  two  have  gone  to  their  reward. 

J.  H.  Bristow,  while  a  man  of  energy  and  talent,  was 
not  adapted  to  our  work.  He  had  not  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  labors  in  an  older  Conference,  and  he, 
and  perhaps  others,  thought  that  he  could  succeed  in 
this  new  field.  This  was  a  great  mistake — a  mistake 
from  which  we  in  our  earlier  struggles  and  labors  suf- 
fered more  than  once.  If  a  man  be  not  fitted  for  work 
in  an  older  Conference,  where  the  Church  is  well  es- 
tablished, and  where  religious  customs  have  hardened 
into  fixed  habits,  it  is  folly  to  risk  him  in  a  new  field, 
especially  such  a  one  as  California  at  that  day  pre- 
sented. Though  the  youngest  State  in  the  Union,  yet 
it  never  had,  like  most  of  her  sisters,  passed  through  a 
crude,  backwoods  state.  Her  citizens  from  the  first 
were  men  of   energy  and  enlightenment.     Only   men 


120  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

of  vigorous  life  and  aspiring  notions  came  to  our  coast 
with  that  first  mighty  tide.  Among  the  miners,  dressed 
in  their  woolen  "jumpers,"  with  feet  incased  in  heavy 
minino-  boots,  hands  hardened  by  handling  the  pick 
and  shovel,  and  faces  bronzed  by  exposure  to  the  sun, 
were  men  who  had  moved  in  the  first  circles  in  the 
Eastern  States.  There  were  lawyers,  doctors,  teachers, 
and,  in  a  word,  men  of  every  profession.  So  in  our 
cities,  men  of  information  and  education  stood  behind 
the  counters,  drove  drays,  unloaded  ships,  and  per- 
formed all  the  work  required  to  sustain  the  life  and 
carry  on  the  business  of  these  thriving  centers  of  trade. 
When  we  preached,  we  could  not,  by  glancing  our  eyes 
over  the  congregation,  tell  by  the  garb  what  manner 
of  men  we  were  to  address. 

J.  H.  Bristow  was  a  ready,  forceful  writer,  and  when 
he  first  arrived  he   filled  whole  columns  of  our  paper 
(the  Observer)  with  his  compositions.     He  wrote  with 
a  dash  that  indicated  a  perfect  confidence  on  his  part 
to  enlighten   his  readers  on   almost  any  subject.     His 
appointment  from  this  Conference  was  to  Marysville. 
In  February,  1852,  W.  A.   Simmons   had  been  sent  to 
this  city,  and   had   labored  for  some  months,  but  not 
succeeding  very  well,  had  been  changed  by  his  presid- 
ing elder  to  Georgetown.     We  had  a  few  members  in 
Marysville,  but  no   house  of  worship.     Bristow  hired 
the  theater,  and  for  a  time  had  large  congregations;  but 
soon  the  novelty  wore  off,  and  those  who  attended  upon 
his   ministry  being  reduced  to  a  mere  handful,  he  be- 
came discouraged,  and  went  into  secular  employment. 
He  located  at  the   next  Conference,  and  in  the   course 
of  a  year  or  two  returned  to  his  native  State,   Ken- 
tucky. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  121 

J.  L.   Saunders   was  a  transfer  from   the  Alabama 
Conference.     In  many  respects  he  was  a  remarkable 
man.     He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind,  and  some  pecu- 
liarities and  eccentricities.      He  seemed  to  be  destitute 
of  a  feeling  of  personal  fear,  and  when  the  exigencies 
of  the  occasion  required  it,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  stand 
up  for  his  rights  with  all  his  physical  force.     He  was  a 
great  student,  and  his  analytical  mind  cut  its  way  into 
the  faults   of   every   author,  while   he   stored   up   that 
which  he  esteemed  worthy  of  preservation.     He  had 
less  patience  with  toadyism  and  man-worship  than  any 
one  we  ever  saw.     So  strong  was  the  bent  of  his  mind 
in  this  particular  that  it  leaned  to  error's  side.     He  did 
not  have  respect   enough   for  men,  especially  those  in 
authority.     But  he   was   a  good   man,  and   at   times  a 
powerful  preacher.    When  fully  aroused,  as  was  some- 
times the  case,  when  his  deep-sunken  eyes  flashed  with 
the  fires  that  burned  at  a  white-heat  in  heart  and  brain, 
his  long  arms  enforcing  with  swinging  gestures  the  ut- 
terances of  his  lips,  nothing  could  stand  before  him. 
He  hated  sin,  and  hypocrisy,  and  all  double-dealing, 
with  all  the  ardor  of  his   nature,  and  when  led   to  un- 
cover these  traits  in  the  human  breast  his  attacks  were 
awful.     He    seemed    an    overcharged   thunder- cloud, 
ready  to  strike  wherever  there  was  any  thing  worthy 
of    his   bolts.     Sometimes    he   would    be  stirred    with 
some   grand   gospel   theme,  when,   drawing   upon   his 
great  store-house  of  information  and  reading,  he  would 
stir  the  very  depths  with  his  eloquence.     It  is  related 
of  him  that  upon  one  occasion  in  Alabama  he  preached 
at  a  camp-meeting  at  night.     His  soul  caught  fire,  and 
for  an  hour  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature  flamed  with  his 
theme.     He  stood   in    the    unsteady  flickering  of  the 


122  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

camp-fires  as  one  transfigured.  Appeal  after  appeal 
fell  from  his  lips  until  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  could 
withstand  the  tide  of  gospel  truth,  when  he  descended 
from  the  stand  and  called  for  mourners  Two  lads 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  were  all  that 
moved  or  came  forward  in  that  vast  assembly.  In  fact, 
no  impression  seemed  to  have  been  made  on  any  oth- 
ers. The  preacher  and  the  two  boys  were  the  only 
parties  of  all  that  company  that  seemed  interested. 
The  boys  knelt  at  the  altar,  and  the  preacher  knelt  by 
them,  and  long  and  earnestly  he  prayed  and  toiled  to 
bring  them  into  the  light.  After  a  time  they  were  both 
converted.  When  Saunders  went  to  his  tent  he  re- 
marked that  he  had  never  had  such  travail  of  soul  in 
his  life,  and  that  he  believed  God  had  some  great  work 
for  those  boys  to  do.  And  sure  enough  both  became 
preachers,  and  have  occupied  prominent  positions 
in  the  Church  of  God.  He  was  on  the  effective  l;st 
in  the  Pacific  Conference  until  the  session  of  1857, 
when  he  assumed  a  superannuated  relation.  Con- 
sumption marked  him  for  a  victim.  He  sank  rapidly, 
his  spirit  mellowing  more  and  more  as  he  approached 
the  end. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  intellect  and  iron  preju- 
dices. One  of  the  last  garrisons  of  his  nature  to  sur- 
render to  the  Prince  of  Peace  was  the  forgiving  an 
enemy.  His  wife  was  absent  from  the  coast  when  his 
last  hour  came.  But  he  found  kind  friends  to  minister 
to  him  in  the  evening  of  life.  He  went  to  the  Hot 
Springs,  in  Loconoma  Valley,  where  he  died.  Just 
before  his  death  he  indited  the  following  letter  to  his 
wife: 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  123 

Hot  Springs,  Locoxoma  Valley,) 
February  2,  1858.  ^ 
Dear  Wife: — I  am  very  weak,  and  think  I  can't  live  twenty- 
four  hours.  I  am  ready  to  die,  and  am  fully  resigned  to  my  God. 
All  the  errors  or  mistakes  I  may  have  committed  during  my  life 
I  have  sincerely  repented  for,  and  have  forgiven  all  my  enemies, 
and  feel  that  I  am  reconciled  through  the  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  my  entire  hope  is  in  the  mediation  of  my  Great  High  Priest. 
If  I  have  ever  injured  any  one  I  am  now  disposed  to  make  all 
acknowledgments  and  restitution  to  them,  for  I  die  in  peace  and 
hope  through  the  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ. 

A  few  clays  after  this  he  calmly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 
Those  who  stood  about  him  as  he  passed  the  Jordan 
assure  us  that  his  end  was  peace. 

R.  W.  Bigham  was  sent  from  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence as  a  missionary  to  Panama,  in  1852.  Panama  was 
at  the  time  the  great  thoroughfare  to  California.  A 
railroad  had  been  projected  across  the  Isthmus,  and  it 
was  thought  Hiat  the  city  of  Panama  would  be  more 
or  less  occupied  by  English-speaking  people.  And 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  determined  to 
establish  a  Mission  there,  and  R.  W.  Bigham,  of  the 
Georgia  Conference,  offered  himself  to  Bishop  Andrew 
as  a  missionary.  He  was  accepted,  and  early  in  1853 
he  went  to  his  work.  But  a  few  months'  labor  and 
observation  convinced  him  that  nothing-  could  be  done 
there.  He  could  be  of  no  benefit  whatever  to  the 
crowds  that  were  ever  passing  through;  and  there  were 
not  enough  permanent  settlers  of  our  people  there  to 
make  it  an  object  to  preach  to  them.  Therefore,  dur- 
ing the  year,  he  came  on  to  California,  and  at  the  San 
Jose  Conference,  in  1S53,  presented  his  certificate  of 
transfer,  and  was  received  into  the  Pacific  Conference. 
He  did  faithful  work  among  us  for  a  number  of  years, 


124 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


when  he  returned  to  his  native  State  and  Conference. 
He  did  very  much  for  Southern  Methodism  while  on 
this  coast.  He  was  a  clear,  forcible  preacher,  whose  only 
aim  and  desire  was  to  work  for  and  glorify  his  Master. 
Since  his  return  to  his  native  State  he  has  occupied  im- 
portant stations,  and  has  made  his  mark  as  a  writer — 
his  Sunday-school  book,  "Vinny  Leal,"  having  taken  the 
second  prize,  when  some  very  handsome  prizes  were 
offered  for  the  best  books  for  children.  Many  of  us 
felt,  when  we  read  his  book,  and  the  one  that  took  the 
first  prize,  that  the  committee  made  a  mistake — and 
the  verdict  of  the  people  has  been  to  that  effect.  The 
first-prize  book  has  been  almost  forgotten,  while  but 
few  books  issued  by  our  House  have  had  such  a  sale  as 
"Vinny  Leal."  It  is  said  that  at  times  the  compositors, 
when  setting  the  type  of  this  book,  had  to  brush  away 
the  tears  that  blinded  their  eyes.  He  has  written  other 
books — one,  "  Wine  and  Blood  " — that  have  well  sus- 
tained his  reputation  as  a  writer. 

J.  C.  Pendergrast  was  born  in  Hamilton  County, 
East  Tennessee,  January  4,  1823.  He  was  happily  con- 
verted in  his  sixteenth  year,  licensed  to  preach  in  his 
nineteenth  vear,  and  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Hoi- 
ston  Conference,  October,  1843.  He  traveled  nine  years 
in  that  Conference,  and  then  transferred  to  the  Pacific 
in  the  fall  of  1852.  He  arrived  in  California,  January 
7,  1853,  and  every  year  since  has  come  up  to  Confer- 
ence to  receive  an  appointment  at  the  hands  of  the 
Bishop.  He  has  been  a  traveling  preacher  longer  than 
any  man  in  the  Pacific  Conference.  When  he  reached 
California  he  was  in  vigorous  health  and  perfectly  de- 
voted to  the  itinerant  ministry.  When  he  enlisted  he 
surrendered  all,  and  up  to  the  present  has  never  asked 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  125 

a  furlough.  Year  after  year  he  has  answered  to  roll- 
call  and  taken  his  appointment,  and  without  a  murmur 
filled  it  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  In  an  early  day  he 
was  very  useful  in  the  camp-meeting  campaigns  for 
which  our  preachers  were  famous.  All  along  through 
his  ministry  he  has  been  in  his  quiet,  unobtrusive  way 
winning  stars  to  deck  the  crown  of  the  Redeemer. 
Converted  in  early  youth,  he  has  led  a  most  exemplary 
life.  But  few  men  are  as  pure  and  chaste  in  conversa- 
tion as  he. 

B.  H.  Russell  was  born  in  Cabell  County,  Virginia, 
October  26,  1812.  In  1833  he  was  converted  to  God 
and  made  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  With  this 
blessing  came  the  call  to  preach.  For  long  years  he 
fought  against  it,  trying  to  satisfy  his  conscience  by 
other  active  work  in  the  Church,  as  class-leader  and 
steward.  But  the  call  of  God  was  not  changed. 
Wherever  he  went,  whatever  he  did,  the  Spirit  still 
urged  him  to  yield  to  his  demands.  His  brethren  saw 
that  a  struggle  was  going  on  in  the  heart  of  the  young 
man,  and  they  advised  him  to  yield,  which  at  last  he 
did,  and  took  license  to  preach  in  the  winter  of  1844, 
and  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Iowa  Conference  in 
1845.  In  1848  he  changed  his  Church  relations  and 
united  with  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  and  took  work 
in  the  Indian  Mission  Conference,  where  he  labored 
for  four  years.  He  wras  then  sent  to  Independence, 
Missouri.  In  1852  he  was  transferred  to  the  Pacific 
Conference,  crossed  the  plains,  and  arrived  in  Califor- 
nia in  September  of  that  year.  His  first  work  was 
Suisun  and  Napa,  a  part  of  D.  B.  Leyne's  enormous 
circuit.  His  second  year  was  on  the  Bodega  Circuit. 
This  was  a  memorable  year  with  him.     In  the  fall   he 


126  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

planned  a  camp -meeting  at  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Sebastopol.  T.  U.  Smith,  Thomas  Moore,  and  some 
other  young  men  went  with  the  preacher  into  the  red- 
woods in  the  vicinity,  felled  the  trees,  split  lumber  for 
tents  and  seats,  built  a  brush  arbor,  and  made  all  the 
arrangements  necessary.  The  blessing  of  God  came 
down  upon  them  from  the  beginning.  A.  M.  Bailey 
sang  as  he  had  never  done  before;  J.  C.  Pendergrast 
preached  with  unwonted  power  and  pathos;  P.  O. 
Clayton  and  others  helped  much.  There  were  more 
than  one  hundred  conversions,  and  men  wTere  brought 
in  that  stood  as  pillars  in  the  Church  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century. 

As  Piesiding  Elder  of  the  Sacramento  District,  with 
a  vigorous  band  of  young  men  on  the  several  stations 
and  circuits,  in  1854  a  movement  was  made  all  along 
the  line  that  put  our  Church  in  the  front  rank.  Dur- 
ing the  revivals  that  occurred  between  1854  and  185S 
some  of  our  most  talented  and  useful  preachers  were 
brought  in. 

In  1857  Brother  Russell  was  in  the  Colusa  Circuit, 
and  at  a  camp- meeting  held  that  fall  more  than  one 
hundred  souls  were  converted.  In  1882  he  celebrated 
his  golden  wedding  while  on  the  Woodbridge  Circuit. 
A  large  crowd  of  friends  assembled  at  the  parsonage, 
a  rich  supper  was  spread  by  willing  hands,  and  $250 
was  given  the  happy  couple  with  which  to  start  afresh 
on  life's  pilgrimage.  He  is  still  effective,  though  in 
somewhat  feeble  health.  He  says,  "  I  am  not  very 
strong,  but  willing  as  ever  to  work  in  the  Master's 
vineyard." 

P.  O.  Clayton  came  to  us  by  transfer  from  the  Mis- 
souri Conference.     He  was  a  tall,  muscular  man,  with 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  127 

great  powers  of  endurance,  and  seemed  well  adapted 
to  the  work  in  California.  He  had  with  him  an  as-ed 
and  infirm  mother  that  he  felt  filially  bound  to  sus- 
tain in  her  old  age,  and  once  or  twice  during  his  con- 
nection with  our  Conference  he  was  compelled  to  de- 
sist for  a  time  from  active  work  on  her  account.  In 
1856  he  located,  but  was  re-admitted  in  1863.  He  was 
for  a  number  of  years  presiding  elder.  In  1S72  he 
transferred  to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference. 

We  were  fortunate  in  having  Hie  venerable  Bishop 
Soule  with  us  at  this  memorable  Conference.  His 
large  experience  and  well-balanced  intellect  were  of 
>great  value  to  us.  His  remarks  at  the  close  of  the  Con- 
ference, when  he  rose  to  read  out  the  Appointments, 
made  a  lasting  impression  upon  all  the  preachers.  He 
advised  us  as  to  the  manner  in  which  we  were  to  do 
our  work.  He  had  heard  and  seen  enough  since  his 
arrival  on  our  coast  to  know  that  ours  was  an  exceed- 
ingly trying  field,  and  that  it  would  require  much  wis- 
dom and/ prudence  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  times. 
He  assured  us  that  no  amount  of  human  skill  and  fore- 
thought could  atone  for  a  want  of  full  reliance  upon 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  cautioned  us  in  regard  to  our 
conduct,  and  like  a  wise  sailor  that  knew  the  rough 
seas  we  would  in  all  probability  have  to  sail,  he  bade 
us  ever  to  be  prudent  and  on  our  guard.  He  then 
urged  us  to  faithfulness  by  many  weighty  arguments 
and  persuasions.  As  he  stood  before  us  in  all  the  dig- 
nity of  his  age  and  office,  and  in  a  voice  that  thrilled 
with  sympathy,  we  felt  like  children  listening  to  the 
counsels  of  a  loving  father.  He  then  announced  the  Ap- 
pointments. One  new  district  had  been  formed  and 
a  number  of  appointments  added.     Some  of  these  ap- 


128  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

pointments,  especially  those  in  the  mines,  have  long 
since  been  abandoned,  but  others  are  still  to  be  found 
in  the  list.  At  this  time  the  great  majority  of  the  pop- 
ulation was  in  the  mines.  Towns  that  had  sprung  up 
like  magic  were  crowded  to  overflowing.  But  in  a 
few  years  the  placer-diggings  being  worked  out  and 
exhausted,  these  towns  were  deserted.  In  a  few  years 
men  began  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  agri- 
cultural resources  of  the  great  valleys.  They  saw  that 
there  was  much  more  of  wealth  held  in  their  rich  soil 
than  all  the  gold  of  the  mountains.  They  saw  that 
California  was  to  be  a  land  of  homes,  and  that  her  cli- 
mate rivaled  that  of  Italy,  and  her  productiveness  was 
immense.  The  pick  was  exchanged  for  the  plow,  the 
shovel  for  the  scythe,  and  the  "  Long  Tom  "  and  the 
sluice-box  for  the  mower  and  the  reaper.  The  human 
tide  that  had  struck  our  shores,  and  under  the  impulse 
of  excitement  went  sweeping  up  the  mountain -sides, 
filling  gulch  and  canyon,  now  began  slowly  to  recede 
toward  the  valle}rs,  and  homes  soon  dotted  the  fertile 
plains  in  every  direction.  It  was  but  the  part  of  wis- 
dom to  follow  this  tide.  We  at  once  transferred  our 
interests  to  the  centers  of  agriculture  and  commerce, 
and  as  quickly  as  possible  adjusted  ourselves  to  the 
new  order  of  things.  In  a  very  few  years  appoint- 
ments in  the  mining  regions  that  had  been  flourishing, 
where  we  had  built  churches  and  parsonages,  were 
abandoned.  The  property  became  worthless  on  ac- 
count of  the  large  majority  of  the  people  leaving  the 
mines.  As  soon  as  a  man's  mining-claim  was  worked 
out,  all  ties  that  bound  him  to  the  place  were  broken, 
and  he  left  at  any  sacrifice.  Thus  in  a  few  years  we 
gave  up   Nevada   City,  Grass  Valley,  Placerville,  Mud 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


129 


Springs,  Georgetown,  Auburn,  Columbia,  Murphy's, 
Jackson,  and  Jamestown,  at  most  of  which  places  we 
had  more  or  less  of  property  or  interest.  A  few  of 
the  mining-towrns,  after  the  "placer-diggings"  were 
exhausted,  began  working  the  numerous  quartz  ledges 
that  seamed  the  mountains,  and  became  permanent 
places;  but  the  great  majority  of  the  mining-towms 
were  abandoned  after  a  few  years. 

9 


130  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  IV. 

j?#HE  third  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  was 
j§2  held  in  the  city  of  Stockton,  February  15-23, 
i%j  JS54-  Bishop  Soule  was  to  preside,  but  the 
steamer  that  was  to  bring  him  to  our  coast  was  de- 
layed, and  on  assembling  at  the  appointed  time,  we 
proceeded  to  organize  by  electing  a  President  pro  tern. 
On  the  first  ballot  A.  Graham  was  elected.  On  the 
17th  a  telegram  from  Bishop  Soule  announced  his  ar- 
rival in  San  Francisco,  and  on  Saturday  morning,  the 
iSth,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  Conference.  In  many  re- 
spects this  was  a  memorable  Conference.  It  was  at 
this  Conference  that  some  of  the  troubles  under  which 
we  suffered  for  years  began.  It  was  at  this  Confer- 
ence that  the  Stockton  church,  that  had  been  sold  un- 
der foreclosure  of  mortgage,  was  redeemed,  and  saved 
to  Southern  Methodism,  and  under  the  wise  and  skill- 
ful hand  of  Bishop  Soule  we  were  tided  over  some 
rough  places.  When  the  question,  "  Who  are  ad- 
mitted on  trial  this  year?  "  was  asked,  the  names  and 
recommendations  of  James  W.  Stahl,  Thomas  C  Bar- 
ton, and  Solomon  Smith  were  presented,  and  they  were 
admitted.  The  first  two  were  recommended  by  the 
same  Quarterly  Conference,  viz.,  the  Angels  Circuit, 
the  last  from  the  Bodega  Circuit.  James  W.  Stahl  was 
a  quiet,  earnest  young  man,  timid,  but  conscientious. 
His  timidity  was  greatlv  in  his  way  as  a  pastor.  He 
found   it  a   £Teat    task    to   visit    from    house    to    house. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  ii»i 


j 


He  was  quite  a  good  preacher,  and  did  us  good  service 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  took  appointments  from 
year  to  year  until  1862,  when  he  was  made  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  Oregon  District,  our  Conference  having 
extended  her  borders  to  that  State.  He  was  kept 
within  the  bounds  of  this  State  till  186^,  when  he 
asked  for  and  was  granted  a  location. 

The  General  Conference  of  1866  organized  the  Colum- 
bia Conference.  Subsequently  Brother  Stahl  became 
a  member  of  that  Conference.  The  latter  years  of  his 
life  were  sad.  He  was  afflicted  with  softening  of  the 
brain,  and  upon  one  occasion,  in  a  fit  of  despondency, 
he  attempted  his  own  life.  In  this  he  failed.  He 
died  soon  after.  The  exact  date  of  his  death  we  have 
not.     His  end  was  peace. 

Thomas  C.  Barton,  who  was  admitted  at  this  ses- 
sion, has  proved  one  of  our  most  faithful,  efficient  men. 
A  man  of  strong  convictions  and  power  as  a  preacher, 
he  has  been  faithfully  at  work  all  these  years,  filling 
many  of  our  most  important  stations,  and  representing 
the  Conference  once  in  the  General  Conference. 
Greatly  afflicted  in  his  sight,  he  has  labored  under  dif- 
ficulties beneath  which  many  a  man  would  have  yield- 
ed. He  has  never  asked  for  rest  or  favors.  The  Great 
Day  alone  will  reveal  the  good  that  he  has  done. 

Solomon  Smith  continued  with  us  but  a  short  time, 
and  we  have  lost  sight  of  him. 

During  the  year  the  membership  of  the  Church  had 
advanced  to  731 — an  increase  of  223.  There  were 
23  local  preachers  —  an  increase  of  3.  One  more 
church  and  three  more  parsonages  were  reported. 
J.  H.  Bristow  and  John  Matthews  located,  and  J.  S. 
Malone  was  transferred  to  the  Tennessee  Conference. 


132  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

J.  Boring  and  A.  M.  Wynn  were  elected  delegates 
to  the  ensuing  General  Conference.  These  brethren 
represented  us  in  the  General  Conference,  but  were 
never  permitted  to  return  to  us.  Dr.  Boring  located  at 
the  next  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference.  Brother 
Wynn  made  an  effort  to  return,  sailed  with  his  fam- 
ily ,  but  was  taken  with  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  and 
after  reaching  Havana,  returned  to  Georgia,  where  he 
has  remained  ever  since.  In  a  few  years  he  recovered, 
and  has  done  efficient  work  in  that  State. 

The  year  that  followed  this  Conference  was  a  year 
of  great  toil  and  of  many  successes.  God  revived  his 
work  under  the  ministry  of  our  preachers;  especially 
did  he  bless  the  camp-meetings  held  in  various  parts 
of  the  work.  The  seal  of  his  indorsement  was  set  un- 
mistakably upon  our  organization. 

The  fourth  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  was 
held  in  Asbury  Chapel,  Sacramento  City,  April  18-25, 
1S55,  Bishop  J.  O.  Andrew  presiding.  In  his  opening 
talk  to  the  Conference  he  won  all  hearts  at  once  by 
the  fatherly  manner  in  which  he  addressed  them. 
When  he  gave  expression  to  the  great  pleasure  it  af- 
forded him  to  meet  with  his  brethren  in  this  far-off 
land,  all  felt  that  he  gave  expression  to  the  true  senti- 
ments of  his  heart.  He  seemed  to  comprehend  the 
magnitude  and  importance  of  our  work,  and  the  nec- 
essary qualifications  for  its  accomplishment.  He  showed 
he  was  in  full  sympathy  with  us,  and  that  he  was  well 
apprised  of  the  labors  and  difficulties  we  had  already 
encountered.  He  had  faith  in  our  final  success.  We 
were  fortunate  in  having  a  man  of  so  much  experience 
to  preside  over  our  deliberations  in   this   formative  pe- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


m 


riod  in  our  history.  No  man  could  more  fully  sympa- 
thize with  us  than  he.  His  had  been  an  eventful  life. 
He  knew  what  it  was  to  meet  with  opposition  in  plant- 
ing the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah.  He  fully  understood 
the  principles  upon  which  our  branch  of  the  Methodist 
Church  had  been  founded.  He  had  been  in  the  fire 
when  the  fierce  heat  of  fanaticism  had  glowed  in  the 
Church — a  heat  that  welded  together  firmly  and  forever 
the  hearts  of  our  people  on  the  principles  of  a  purely 
spiritual  Church,  unsectional  in  its  every  fiber — a 
Church  that  could  conscientiously  invite  men  of  all  po- 
litical  creeds  to  come  into  its  communion  without  fear 
of  antagonism. 

Quite  a  number  of  valuable  transfers  came  to  us  this 
year,  and  were  introduced  to  the  Conference  by  Bish- 
op Andrew,  viz.,  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  J.  C.  Stewart,  T. 
W.  Moore,  J.  W.  Ellis,  B.  R.  Johnson,  and  O.  Fisher. 

O.  P.  Fitzgerald  came  to  us  from  the  Georgia  Con- 
ference, being  in  the  second  year  of  his  ministry.  He 
was  sent  his  first  year  to  Sonora,  a  stirring  mining-town 
in  Tuolumne  County.  Here  Wynn,  and  Malone,  and 
Evans  had  planted  the  seeds  of  Southern  Methodism. 
He  at  once  adjusted  himself  to  the  novel  work,  and 
went  from  camp  to  camp  in  the  adjacent  mines,  preach- 
ing to  the  hardy  miners.  He  showed  them  that  he 
loved  them,  and  was  working  for  their  spiritual  good. 
The  magnetism  of  his  nature,  the  genial  spirit  that  ever 
glowed  in  his  intercourse  with  them,  opened  his  way, 
and  his  wonderful  conversational  powers  won  for  him 
a  place  in  the  hearts  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. While  in  Sonora  he  bound  to  himself  friends 
that  love  him  till  now  as  they  love  but  few  men. 

His  next  appointment  was  San  Jose,  where  he  did  a 


134  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

good  work.  Then  San  Francisco  and  Oakland.  After 
rilling  several  other  important  stations,  he  was  elected 
Editor  of  the  Pacific  Methodist,  in  1858,  in  connection 
with  the  San  Francisco  Station.  He  continued  editor 
of  the  paper  for  many  years,  a  2^>osition  for  which  he 
was  eminently  qualified.  He  was  what  might  be  called 
a  "  born  editor."  For  this  work  he  was  specially  suited 
both  by  nature  and  by  cultivation.  He  gave  to  the 
paper  not  only  his  personal  efforts,  but  expended  hun- 
dreds of  dollars  of  his  own  private  means  to  sustain  it. 
When,  under  the  great  financial  pressure  that  came 
upon  the  State  during  the  war — which  pressure,  as  far 
as  the  Pacific  Methodist  was  concerned,  reached  its 
crisis  during  the  flood  of  1S61-2 — the  paper  was  sus- 
pended, O.  P.  Fitzgerald  was  the  first  to  make  an 
effort  for  its  resurrection.  At  one  time  he  was  Agent 
for  Pacific  Methodist  College,  and  temporary  president 
of  the  institution.  During  this  agency  the  college 
reached  a  crisis  in  its  affairs,  and  he  mortgaged  his  own 
property  and  put  in  the  sum  of  $3,000  to  save  it. 

He  was  at  one  time  elected  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  and  filled  that  office  for  a  term  of 
four  years  with  great  credit  to  himself.  Many  of  the 
teachers  of  that  period  are  wont  to  speak  of  this  term 
as  "  the  reign  of  good-will."  He  carried  his  urbane 
manners  into  his  office,  and  was  ever  ready  to  listen 
to  the  troubles  of  the  most  obscure  teachers,  and  with 
his  wonderful  peace-making  qualities  he  poured  oil 
on  many  troubled  seas  during  his  administration.  The 
University  of  California  was  organized  under  his  ad- 
ministration, and  the  California  State  Normal  School 
fully  organized  and  permanently  located.  The  bene- 
ficial impress  of  his  character  and  labors  abides.     As  a 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  135 

pastor,  class-leader,  and  Sunday-school  teacher,  he  has 
but  few  equals.  A  gracious  revival  attended  his  labors 
at  one  time  in  Santa  Rosa.  Among  the  converts  dur- 
ing that  meeting  was  a  half-witted  boy,  or  man,  rather; 
for  thousrh  a  man  in  vears,  he  was  a  mere  child  in 
mind.  It  was  wonderful  to  see  the  manner  in  which 
fhis  Doctor  of  Divinity  came  down  to  the  comprehen- 
sion of  this  weak  one,  and  how  quietly  he  led  him  to 
the  blessed  experience  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  When 
urging  the  Church  upon  one  occasion  to  look  after  this 
lamb  of  the  flock  with  others,  he  said:  "  If  Jesus  him- 
self were  here,  and  were  to  show  special  concern  for 
any  in  the  bestowment  of  his  grace  and  help,  I  have 
no  doubt  it  would  be  to  Louie  " — the  boy  referred  to. 
This  little  speech  showed  the  spirit  of  the  man.  The 
peer  of  the  first  men  of  the  Church  or  State,  he  stooped 
to  take  this  poor,  half-witted  youth  by  the  hand  and 
lead  him  to  the  living  waters,  and  teach  him  to  kneel 
and  drink. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1S7S  his  ability  as  an 
editor  was  recognized  by  the  Church,  and  he  was  elect- 
ed Editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate,  the  organ  of  the 
General  Conference.  During  the  time  he  has  been 
at  the  head  of  this  paper  he  has  written  quite  a  num- 
ber of  books  that  have  struck  the  public  heart,  and 
have  proved  a  rich  addition  to  the  literature  of  the 
Church. 

The  Rev.  Orceneth  Fisher,  who  came  to  us  at  this 
Conference  from  the  East  Texas  Conference,  reached 
us  late  in  the  session.  The  night  after  his  arrival  he 
preached.  The  sermon  was  full  of  scriptural  thought 
and  illustration.  He  was  a  pioneer  —  one  that  ever 
panted  to  be  in  the  front  of  God's  bannered  host.    And 


136  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

now,  as  he  stood  on  the  western  verge  of  the  continent, 
and  in  a  Conference  of  Methodist  preachers,  and  open- 
ing his  commission  to  us  for  the  first  time,  his  soul 
caught  fire.  With  thought,  and  voice,  and  gesture,  he 
bore  his  audience  before  him  to  the  most  rapturous 
heights.  A  very  halo  seemed  to  be  round  about  him, 
as  with  native  eloquence,  sanctified  by  a  blessed  expe- 
rience, he  preached  to  us  that  night.  He  had  entered 
the  ministry  in  the  great  North-west,  and  following 
along  the  borders  of  the  Church  as  she  was  pushing 
her  conquests  into  the  wilderness,  he  had  reached 
Texas,  and  done  good  work  there;  and  now  as  the  Pa- 
cific Conference  was  calling  for  laborers,  he  answered 
the  call,  and  stood  in  our  midst  ready  for  work.  A 
hearty  welcome  we  gave  him,  and  noble  work  did  he 
do  for  the  Master  in  our  State  while  among  us. 

He  was  an  ardent  and  devoted  student  of  God's 
word.  He  drew  all  his  thoughts  and  energies  in  that 
way.  He  did  not  study  the  Bible  topically,  but  as  a 
whole,  striving  always  to  get  the  mind  of  the  Spirit. 
He  was  better  armed  with  apt  quotations  on  any  and 
every  subject  from  the  word  of  God  than  any  man  we 
ever  knew.  Spring  him  on  any  subject  connected  with 
theology,  and  one  would  be  ready  to  conclude  that  he 
had  made  that  subject  a  specialty.  He  had  the  happy 
faculty  in  private  conversation  of  turning  any  subject 
that  might  be  under  discussion  to  religion.  He  was  a 
man  of  prayer  and  of  great  faith.  His  wrestling  in  pri- 
vate, when  any  great  matter  called  him  to  the  mercy- 
seat,  was  like  that  of  Jacob  at  Penuel.  When  once  he 
had  grappled  with  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant,  there 
was  no  release  until  the  blessing  came.  The  Rev.  J. 
Gruwell,  who  made  with  him  a  trip  overland  to  Ore- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  137 

gon,  says  he  prayed  more  than  any  man  he  ever  saw. 
Prayer  was  his  native  breath,  his  vital  air. 

One  so  accustomed  to  prayer  in  secret  was  of  neces- 
sity mighty  in  prayer  when  leading  the  congregation. 
Sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  lifting  the  veil  in 
the  earnestness  of  his  approaches  to  the  shekinah,  and 
leading  you  into  the  visible  presence  of  Jehovah;  and 
yet  there  was  no  presumption  in  his  petitions.  As 
simple  as  a  child,  God  could  but  love  to  hear  him  pray. 
God  was  his  refuge  at  all  times,  whether  he  were  lead- 
ing the  devotions  of  waiting  thousands  at  a  camp- 
meeting  under  our  summer  skies,  or  kneeling  amid  the 
whirling  snow-flakes  at  the  base  of  Mount  Shasta, 
with  the  storm-king  blocking  his  way  to  Oregon.  He 
felt  his  reliance  upon  the  divine  arm  equally  when  the 
shout  of  victory  told  of  a  forward  movement  on  the 
part  of  God's  sacramental  host,  as  when  kneeling  by 
the  bed  of  suffering  pleading  for  the  life  and  salvation 
of  a  fellow-mortal. 

He  had  a  remarkably  musical  voice,  with  wonderful 
compass.  He  could  with  ease  speak  so  as  to  be  heard 
by  thousands  on  a  camp-ground,  and  yet  those  who 
were  nearest  to  him  found  no  unpleasant  loudness  in 
his  tones.  His  preaching  was  always  scriptural.  He 
fully  understood  the  doctrines  of  Methodism,  and  was 
an  able  defender  of  them.  When  he  essayed  to  set 
them  before  an  audience  one  felt  that  they  stood  not 
so  much  on  the  logic  of  argument  as  upon  the  word 
of  God.  Like  Paul,  "a  thus  it  is  written"  settled  all 
matters  with  him.  He  was  a  great  revivalist,  and  his 
services  at  a  protracted  or  camp -meeting  were  always 
sought  after  and  appreciated.  Always  interesting,  al- 
ways eloquent,  there  were  times  when   he  soared  out- 


138  History  of   Southern  Methodism 

side  of  himself  and  carried  his  audience  with  him  in 
eager  flight  to  the  most  rapturous  heights.  Like  White- 
field,  he  could  seize  upon  the  events  transpiring  around 
him,  and  in  the  happiest  manner  make  them  do  service 
for  his  Master.  Once,  at  what  was  at  first  known  as 
the  "  Toll-gate  " — afterward  Saratoga — Camp-ground, 
he  was  making  some  remarks  at  night  preparatory  to 
the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  As  he  dwelt 
upon  the  solemn  scenes  that  preceded  its  institution,  a 
cloud  drifted  into  the  sky,  and,  what  was  a  rare  occur- 
rence in  this  part  of  California,  lightnings  were  seen 
playing  upon  its  bosom  as  it  approached  us.  All  un- 
heeding the  storm,  he  held  his  audience  in  that  upper 
chamber  listening  to  the  tender  voice  of  Jesus,  as  with 
solemn  step  he  passed  from  one  to  another  of  the  awe- 
stricken  disciples,  giving  the  bread  and  the  wine;  and 
then  he  led  them  out  to  Gethsemane,  and  had  them 
kneel  with  bated  breath  while  the  Son  of  man  prayed, 
with  the  death-swreat  standing  in  bloody  drops  upon 
his  sorrow-seamed  face;  then  to  Calvary,  mantled  with 
its  death-pains  and  sufferings.  Just  then  a  bright  flash 
of  lightning  lit  up  the  faces  of  the  listeners,  followed 
by  a  peal  of  thunder  that  echoed  amid  the  crags  of  the 
mountain-range  at  whose  base  the  camp-ground  lay, 
when,  lifting  his  hand  and  pointing  to  the  passing 
cloud  that  obscured  but  half  our  sky,  in  language  that 
can  never  be  reproduced,  he  spoke  of  the  storm  and  of 
Him  who  ruled  it  until  the  .awe-stricken  crowd  never 
felt  so  immediately  in  the  presence  and  under  the  power 
of  God  before. 

But  a  man  who  has  filled  so  large  a  space  in  our 
work,  and  to  whom  the  people  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
are  so  deeply  indebted,  should  have  more  than  a  pass- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


39 


ing  notice.  He  can  be  classed  among  the  aoostles  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  and  is  worthy  of  the  title.  He 
was  born  in  Chester,  Windsor  County,  Vermont,  Nov. 
5,  1S03.  His 'father  was  Dr.  David  Fisher;  his  par- 
ental grandfather  the  Rev.  D.  Fisher,  of  the  Free-will 
Baptist  Church.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain Rufus  Chase,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  under  the  mintstry  of 
Roger  Williams.  In  the  line  of  ancestry  and  kindred 
were  some  of  the  noble  and  honored  of  England — 
among  them,  William  III.,  Prince  of  Orange,  the 
Townleys,  Lord  George  Fisher,  and  Archbishop  Fish- 
er.* He  was  not  baptized  in  infancy,  which  greatly 
troubled  him,  and  was  a  source  of  regret  during  life. 
God's  Spirit  touched  his  heart  at  the  tender  age  of  six 
years.  When  about  twelve,  his  mother,  discovering 
that  God  was  dealing  with  the  child,  began  to  encour- 
age him  to  read  the  Bible  through,  which  he  did,  and 
soon  became  much  interested  in  its  contents.  He  at 
once  determined  to  become  a  Christian,  but  kept  it  a 
profound  secret  until  one  day,  as  he  was  kneeling  in 
prayer  in  the  woods,  three  men  came  upon  him  in  his 
hiding-place  and  discovered  him.  He  then  concluded, 
as  the  secret  was  out,  he  would  mingle  with  Christians 
and  converse  with  them  upon  the  great  plan  of  salva- 
tion. 

From  some  cause  he  did  not  formally  unite  with  the 
Church  until  his  seventeenth  year.  He  immediately 
began  to  pray  in  public,  and  occasionally  to  exhort. 
In  a  short  time  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  His  first  ser- 
mon was  delivered  soon  after,  when  the  whole  congre- 
gation was  deeply  moved,  and  the  result  was  two  pow- 

*  W.  Shapard. 


140  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

erful  conversions.  A  grand  revival  followed,  the  work 
spread,  and  scores  were  added  to  the  Church.  Thus 
at  the  very  threshold  of  his  ministry  God  set  to  his  seal 
that  he  was  his,  and  for  fifty -eight  years  the  revival 
fires  kindled  and  burned  wherever  he  went.  But  few 
men  of  any  age  have  seen  so  much  of  immediate  fruit 
of  their  ministry. 

He  joined  the  Ohio  Conference,  and  was  sent  to 
Vincennes — his  first  circuit — March  3,  1S23.  This  cir- 
cuit extended  to  the  vicinity  of  "Old  Fort  Harrison," 
up  the  Wabash  River  east  into  the  forks  of  White 
River,  up  the  east  fork  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  above  and 
across  to  the  west  fork  of  Black  Creek.  In  many 
places  there  were  no  roads,  and  sometimes  no  bridges 
or  ferries.  His  father,  who  had  been  firm  in  opposing 
him  as  a  Methodist  up  to  this  time,  now  entirely  re- 
lented, acknowledged  his  wrong,  asked  forgiveness, 
and  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  his  son.  He  gave 
him  his  liberty,  and  bid  him- God -speed  in  his  glorious 
work.  A  mere  boy,  he  left  home  to  go  out  into  the 
wild  West,  he  knew  not  whither.  But  his  trust  was  in 
God,  and  with  an  eye  single  to  his  glory.  Revivals 
followed  his  labors  wherever  he  went.  He  filled  twen- 
ty-eight appointments  in  four  weeks,  often  preaching 
day  and  night,  besides  holding  class  and  prayer-meet- 
ings. Nearly  seven  hundred  joined  the  Church  un- 
der his  ministry  the  first  two  years.  He  then  joined 
the  St.  Louis  Conference,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Il- 
linois Circuit,  including  the  towns  of  Belleville,  Leba- 
non, Edwardsville,  and  Alton.  On  this  work  he  en- 
dured many  hardships,  but  a  revival  swept  over  the 
entire  circuit,  and  among  those  converted  was  Dr.  Tal- 
bot, who  became  a  distinguished  minister. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  141 

His  next  appointment  was  Mt.  Vernon.  Here  also 
he  had  glorious  success.  In  1837  ne  was  stationed  in 
Carlisle,  and  in  1840  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  then  a  young  man,  often  attended  upon 
his  ministry.  While  stationed  in  Springfield  he  ex- 
tended the  use  of  his  church  to  the  State  Legislature 
to  hold  its  sessions,  as  they  then  had  no  State-house. 

In  1841  he  transferred  to  Texas.  While  there  God 
was  with  him  in  mighty  power,  and  thousands  were 
added  to  the  Church  under  his  ministry  in  that  State. 
He  was  chaplain  of  the  last  Senate  of  the  Republic  of 
Texas.  Three  years  he  was  in  Houston,  where  he  pro- 
jected, edited,  and  published  the  Texas  Christian  Ad- 
vocate. 

He  filled  various  stations  and  districts,  and  was  sent 
by  the  East  Texas  Conference  to  the  third  General 
Conference  of  the  Church,  South,  held  in  Columbus, 
Georgia,  in  1854.  He  assisted  in  the  ordination  of  sev- 
eral Bishops. 

His  first  appointment  was  San  Francisco  Station. 
But  this  work  was  not  so  well  suited  to  the  genius  of 
the  man  as  were  the  district  and  circuit  work,  where 
he  could  be  out  more  preaching  to  the  masses.  It  was 
hard  to  confine  him  closely  to  the  city.  He  accepted 
the  invitations  of  his  friends  in  the  interior  to  attend 
and  assist  them  in  their  revival-meetings.  Upon  one 
occasion  he  met  in  public  debate  one  of  the  leading 
ministers  of  the  M.  E.  Church  on  the  questions  that  di- 
vided the  two  Churches.  Though  a  Northern  man  by 
birth  and  education,  he  embraced  the  principles  of  the 
Church,  South,  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  great  soul,  and 
felt  himself  called  ever  to  defend  these  principles  when 
questioned  or  assailed. 


H2 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


We  had  no  church  in  which  to  worship  in  San  Fran- 
cisco at  this  time,  and  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
being  without  a  pastor,  at  their  earnest  solicitation 
Brother  Fisher  occupied  their  pulpit,  and  both  congre- 
gations worshiped  together,  to  the  edification  of  both 
preacher  and  people.  The  bonds  of  attachment  that 
grew  and  strengthened  between  the  Methodist  preacher 
and  the  Presbyterian  congregation  were  never  severed. 
In  all  after-years  Brother  Fisher  referred  to  this  asso- 
ciation with  peculiar  pleasure  and  affection. 

His  second  appointment  was  Stockton.  Here  his 
labors  were  blessed  with  a  gracious  revival.  He  was 
succeeding  finely  when  the  Vigilance  Committee  ex- 
citement broke  out  in  San  Francisco — an  excitement 
that  not  only  swept  before  it  almost  the  entire  city,  but 
reached  far  into  the  interior.  Gamblers  and  thieves 
became  so  bold  and  daring  as  not  only  to  strike  terror 
into  the  hearts  of  private  citizens,  but  to  overawe  even 
the  officers  of  the  law.  Never  in  the  history  of  the 
State  did  there  ever  exist  such  a  state  of  things.  Swin- 
dlers, thieves,  and  gamblers  dictated  to  the  political  par- 
ties, and  ruled  the  State  with  a  tyranny  that  nothing 
could  resist.  There  were  a  few  good  men  on  the 
bench,  but  they  were  powerless  to  render  justice  when 
any  number  of  men  stood  ready  to  swear  to  any  thing 
asked  of  them.  There  was  no  assurance  that  convic- 
tion would  follow  arrests,  no  matter  how  many  wit- 
nesses might  be  arrayed  against  the  guilty.  County 
jails  were  not  secure,  and  the  State-prison  itself  was 
in  the  hands  of  men  who  for  money  would  turn  loose 
those  intrusted  to  their  keeping.  In  December,  1854, 
thirty  convicts  escaped  from  it  the  same  day.  Ballot- 
box   stuffing-   was    as    regular  as   the  dav  of   election. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


[43 


Voters  felt  it  a  farce  to  poll  their  ballots  when  unscrupu- 
lous men  could  manufacture  any  majority  they  pleased 
for  their  men  in  ten  minutes  after  the  polls  closed. 

It  is  not  within  our  province  to  detail  the  stirring 
events  of  this  period.  Two  religious  papers  took  sides 
with  the  Vigilants,  and  very  many  of  the  pulpits  of  the 
city  and  State  showed  their  sympathies  with  them. 
Our  Church  and  ministry  proved  true  to  their  cher- 
ished principles,  and  refrained  from  any  participation  in 
the  matter.  Father  Fisher,  however,  was  caught  for  a 
little  while  in  the  general  excitement,  and  at  an  im- 
mense meeting  in  the  city  of  Stockton  he  was  put  for- 
ward during  its  progress  to  read  a  telegram  announc- 
ing the  execution  of  two  notorious  characters  by  the 
Vigilance  Committee.  From  that  hour  he  lost  his 
influence  with  many  in  whom  he  was  most  interested. 
And  only  the  saintliness  of  his  character  ever  tided 
him  over  this  misstep. 

While  in  Stockton  he  commenced  the  publication  of 
the  Pacific  Methodist,  he  having  been  elected  editor  at 
the  preceding  Conference.  This  position  he  held  to 
the  ensuing  Annual  Conference,  when  O.  P.  Fitzger- 
ald was  elected  editor. 

While  stationed  in  Stockton  we  were  still  in  posses- 
sion of  the  building  erected  by  Brother  Gridley  on 
Weber  Avenue,  but  there  was  no  bell  on  the  church  at 
the  time.  Sister  Fisher  determined  to  get  one.  The 
membership  at  that  time  was  small  and  the  prejudice 
from  the  outside  very  bitter.  It  was  a  laborious  under- 
taking. But  kind  friends  assisted,  and  through  tears 
and  prayers,  hard  work  and  persistent  effort,  she  suc- 
ceeded, and  soon  the  silvery  notes  of  a  sweet-toned 
bell  were  calling  worshipers  to  prayers.     This  at  once 


144  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

attracted  attention  to  the  church,  and  was  worth  far 
more  to  us  than  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  bell.  It  gave 
us  influence  with  the  people  in  larger  measure. 

In  the  fall  it  was  determined  to  hold  a  camp-meeting 
about  twelve  miles  above  Stockton  on  the  Calaveras 
River.  But  few  could  be  enlisted  in  the  enterprise  at 
first;  but  with  faith  and  prayer  Brother  Fisher  and  his 
wife  got  together  what  provisions  they  could  and  went 
out  to  the  ground.  Sister  Fisher  cooked  and  washed 
dishes  and  fed  the  people  until  the  revival  began.  Soon 
it  burst  into  a  blessed  blaze;  scores  crowded  the  altar, 
and  the  sobs  and  cries  of  penitents  were  heard  at  every 
service.  Many  were  converted,  the  Church  was  re- 
freshed, and  the  glorious  work  deepened.  Sister 
Fisher  would  labor  at  the  tent  during  the  day  feeding 
the  people,  and  would  enter  the  altar  at  night  and  point 
the- penitents  to  the  world's  Redeemer.  Like  her  hus- 
band, she  was  doing  all  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  his  cause.  One  day  she  saw  a  gentleman, 
whom  she  had  frequently  seen  in  Stockton,  watching 
her  with  much  interest  while  she  was  busily  engaged 
in  preparing  dinner.  He  sought  an  introduction,  and 
expressed  surprise  that  she  should  work  so  hard,  and 
then  said: 

"I  am  not  a  member  of  the  Church,  but  will  gladly 
give  two  dollars  a  day  for  a  cook  to  relieve  you.' 

She  thanked  him,  and  told  him  she  had  felt  under  the 
necessity  of  doing  it,  as  some  one  had  it  to  do  to  get  the 
meeting  started,  and  added,  "As  God  has  blessed  us 
with  a  glorious  revival  and  souls  are  being  saved,  I  am 
more  than  repaid  for  all  that  I  have  done." 

The  gentleman  bade  her  good-morning  and  went 
away.     In  a  little  while  two  other  men  came  to  where 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


[45 


she  was,  and  handing  her  some  money,  expressed  their 
regrets  that  she  should  have  been  so  long  overtasked 
in  her  arduous  work.  They  told  her  to  go  to  Stockton 
and  lay  in  more  provisions,  and  to  secure  the  services 
of  a  cook,  that  the  crowds  that  would  be  attracted  to 
the  grounds  the  coming  Saturday  and  Sunday  might 
be  fed  without  taking  her  strength  or  purse.  When 
she  reached  Stockton  she  found  the  meeting  all  the 
talk  on  the  streets.  Everybody  was  excited  about  it, 
and  very  many  were  making  their  arrangements  to  go 
out  to  it.  Such  a  meeting  had  never  occurred  in  that 
country  before.  She  got  all  the  provisions  necessary, 
secured  the  services  of  several  cooks,  and  henceforth 
was  relieved  of  all  the  drudgery.  She  still,  however, 
superintended  the  affairs  of  the  table  to  see  that  all 
were  fed  and  cared  for.  The  meeting  was  one  of  the 
best  ever  held  in  this  neighborhood.  A  new  circuit 
was  formed,  and  a  neat  church  and  parsonage — the 
Linden — were  built  near  the  place  the  following  year. 

Brother  Fisher  was  in  his  glory  all  through  the  meet- 
ing, preaching  with  unwearied  zeal  and  fervor,  and 
working  early  and  late  with  the  penitents  at  the  altar. 
Now  and  then  could  be  heard  his  exultant  "Hallelu- 
iah" mingling  with  the  shout  of  a  new-born  soul.  R. 
W.  Bigham,  T.  C.  Barton,  E.  G.  Cannon,  and  other 
ministers  labored  all  through  the  meeting  with  great 
success,  preaching  with  power  beyond  their  wont. 

This  meeting  was  not  without  its  opponents.  Some 
"sons  of  Belial"  were  on  the  ground,  but  their  efforts 
at  retarding  the  work  of  grace  were  without  avail. 
One  night,  when  the  altar  was  full  of  mourners,  and 
Sister  Fisher  was  leading  in  an  earnest  prayer,  some 
one  threw  an  explosive  in  among  them.  The  report 
IO 


146  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

was  loud  and  distinct.  Instead  of  confusing  her,  she 
became  more  earnest,  the  "Aniens  "  to  her  petitions 
were  more  hearty,  the  faith  of  the  Church  rose,  and  as 
a  result  they  had  very  many  conversions  soon  after. 

Sometimes  the  appeals  made  by  Brother  Fisher 
seemed  like  bolts  from  the  sky,  and  sinners  were  strick- 
en down  in  every  direction.  When  this  meeting;  closed 
Brother  Fisher  and  family  returned  to  Stockton,  rested 
a  few  days,  when  they  went  to  another  camp-meeting 
near  Stockton,  which  continued  until  the  weather  be- 
came too  cool  for  camping  out,  when  it  was  removed 
to  Stockton  and  continued  until  Conference.  Among 
those  converted  at  the  first-named  camp-meeting  was 
Wick  B.  Parsons,  present  editor  of  the  Pacific  Meth- 
odist, whose  devotion  to  the  Church  and  enduring  self- 
denial  for  the  cause  of  Southern  Methodism  will  com- 
pare with  that  of  our  preachers.  He  was  foreman  of 
the  printing-office  of  the  Pacific  Methodist  at  the  time. 
He  had  bought  the  first  outfit  for  the  paper — had  with 
his  own  hands  locked  the  first  form  that  gave  it  a  place 
among  the  papers  of  the  land  as  a  power  for  good. 
He  is  its  editor  at  this  writing. 

Brother  Fisher  seemed  to  move  in  a  revival  atmos- 
phere. Wherever  he  went  the  power  of  God  attended 
his  ministry.  On  one  camp-meeting  round  on  his  dis- 
trict, including  the  Suisun  work,  eight  hundred  per- 
sons were  added  to  the  Church.  Such  power,  such 
revivals  as  extended  from  one  meeting  to  another  on 
that  round,  has  never  been  witnessed  in  the  State, 
God's  power  seemed  manifest  in  every  sermon,  prayer, 
and  song. 

In  1858  a  correspondence  was  opened  with  friends 
in  the  State  of  Oregon   on   the  subject   of  establishing 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  147 

our  Church  there.  This  was  just  to  his  mind.  He 
gloried  more  in  being  a  pioneer  of  the  Church  than 
any  man  we  ever  knew.  He  ever  desired  to  be  in  the 
forefront  of  the  battle — to  blaze  a  way  in  the  wilder- 
ness for  others  to  find  their  way  to  new  fields. 

Soon  the  pioneer  spirit,  such  as  fired  the  breast  of 
the  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  when  he  desired  to  go 
to  the  regions  beyond,  "  lest  he  should  build  upon  another 
man's  foundation,"  stirred  him,  and  he  felt  it  his  duty 
to  go  there  and  organize  our  Church.  Hence,  at  the 
ensuing  Conference  he  requested  the  President  of  the 
Conference  to  attach  Oregon  to  his  work,  as  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  San  Francisco  District,  and  give  him  au- 
thority, as  the  legal  representative  of  the  Church,  to  do 
whatever  seemed  proper  to  be  done  when  he  should 
have  reached  the  field.  Accordingly,  about  the  first  of 
Tune,  1859,  he  and  wife,  and  two  children,  took  pas- 
sage on  the  steamship  Pacific,  commanded  by  Captain 
Patterson.  They  had  a  comparatively  smooth  passage 
until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River, 
when  they  found  the  sea  too  rough  to  attempt  to  cross 
the  dangerous  bar  that  lies  at  the  mouth  of  that  river. 
So  they  steamed  up  Puget  Sound  to  Esquimalt,  where 
they  lay  until  the  next  day.  On  the  Sabbath  they  vis- 
ited Her  Majesty's  young  city,  Victoria,  where  Brother 
Fisher  preached  for  Dr.  Evans,  of  the  Canadian  Meth- 
odist Church,  to  a  large,  attentive,  and  intelligent  con- 
gregation. Of  course  these  British  Methodists  had 
their  hearts  stirred  with  the  living  fire  of  this  "  son  of 
thunder."  Dr.  Evans  invited  him  and  family  home  to 
lunch  with  him.  Thus  the  Sabbath  in  a  strange  land 
was  spent  pleasantly  and  profitably-  As  they  steamed 
along  the  Sound,  no  doubt   the  quiver  of  this   mighty 


14S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

man  of  eloquence  was  replenished  with  fresh  arrows 
as  he  took  in  the  grand  scenery  around  him.  Back  in 
the  forest,  that  clothed  the  mountain-range  with  more 
than  royal  beauty,  stood  Mount  Baker,  lifting  his  snow- 
mantled  form  high  above  all  other  peaks,  in  solitary 
grandeur,  while  Olympus  and  other  towering  peaks 
stood  like  a  royal  guard  about  the  grander  form  of  the 
mighty  monarch — forming  a  scene  too  grand  ever  to 
fade  from  memory.  With  guns  and  music  Her  Majes- 
ty's ships  exchanged  salutes  with  the  Pacific  as  she 
swept  down  the  Sound. 

On  Monday  they  crossed  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  River,  and  steamed  up  that  grand  Missis- 
sippi of  the  West,  and  were  soon  at  Portland,  the  com- 
mercial emporium  of  the  State.  It  was  soon  known 
that  the  object  of  Brother  Fisher  was  to  organize  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church  in  Oregon.  With  but  few 
exceptions  the  newspapers  hailed  his  advent  most 
heartily.  On  all  sides  a  hearty  welcome  was  accorded 
him  and  family.  They  met  Captain  Lyon,  late  Mas- 
ter of  the  Masonic  Lodge  in  Stockton.  Brother  Fish- 
er had  been  the  chaplain  of  his  lodge.  He  was  at 
the  time  Grand  Lecturer  of  the  State.  The  Grand 
Lodge  of  Oregon  was  then  in  session  at  Salem  City, 
and  Captain  Lyon  at  once  made  arrangements  for 
Brother  Fisher  to  attend  this  meeting.  As  the  one 
whose  duty  it  was  to  deliver  the  oration  at  this  meet- 
ing was  absent,  and  the  coming  of  Brother  Fisher  had 
been  known,  arrangements  had  been  made  for  him  to 
deliver  the  oration.  Oregon  is  a  strong  Masonic  State, 
and  this  occasion  opened  the  way  for  his  success  in  al- 
most every  direction.  He  at  once  began  his  work, 
preaching  to  immense  crowds,  and  the  interest  spread 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


149 


all  over  the  State.  "The  Texas  Ranger,"  as  some 
called  him,  wielded  *a  tremendous  influence  everywhere. 
He  left  J.  C.  Kolbe  to  form  a  circuit  at  Independence, 
and  after  spending  nearly  three  months  in  prospecting, 
receiving  quite  a  number  into  the  Church,  and  prom- 
ising to  send  them  preachers  at  Conference,  they  start- 
ed home,  but  to  their  great  disappointment  thev  reached 
Portland  one  day  too  late  for  the  steamer.  Thev  were 
consequently  detained  nine  days,  but  they  were  not 
spent  in  idleness.  He  preached  as  often  as  he  had  op- 
portunity, and  they  were  royally  entertained  by  the  cit- 
izens, each  vying  with  the  other  in  hospitality.  While 
waiting  they  made  a  visit  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Compa- 
ny, and  when  about  to  leave  were  informed  that  their 
hotel  bill  was  paid.  It  was  again  their  fortune  to  sail 
with  Captain  Patterson,  who  refused  to  take  any  fare 
from  them,  giving  them  every  attention. 

The  next  year  Brother  Fisher  was  sent  to  take  charge 
of  the  Oregon  work,  with  J.  L.  Burchard,  Moses  Clam- 
pit,  J.  C.  Kolbe,  J.  Gruwell,  J.  Kelsay,  and  C.  H.  E. 
Newton  as  helpers. 

J.  Gruwell  had  a  large  family,  and  he  and  Brother 
Fisher  concluded  to  take  the  overland  route  by  way  of 
Pitt  and  Fall  Rivers.  They  had  about  seven  hundred 
miles  to  go,  over  high  mountains  and  through  a  wild, 
hostile  Indian  country.  They  started  from  San  Jose 
about  the  middle  of  October.  They  went  by  way  of 
Livermore  and  San  Ramon  valleys,  crossing  the  Contra 
Costa  Mountains.  They  crossed  the  Straits  of  Car- 
quinez  at  Martinez  and  Benicia;  then  by  way  of  Suisun 
and  Sacramento  valleys,  crossing  the  Sacramento  River 
some  distance  above  Red  Bluff,  and  took  the  mountain 
road  via  Pitt  River.     Soon  after  entering  the  mountains 


t;o  History  of   Southern   Methodism 

they  encountered  heavy  rain  and  snow  storms.  They 
stopped  at  Lost  Camp,  where  a  company  of  United 
States  Rangers  were  camped,  under  Capt.  Burns,  who 
had  the  Indian  queen  a  prisoner.  She  promised  to  lead 
him  to  the  hiding-place  of  her  tribe. 

The  day  after  leaving  Lost  Camp  they  traveled  for 
fortv  miles  over  a  route  infested  by  hostile  Indians. 
For  fifteen  miles  the  snow  lay  deep  upon  the  ground, 
making-  travel  exceedinglv  heavy.  At  last  thev  reached 
a  military  station.  The  commanding  officer  sent  a 
mounted  military  escort  with  them  sixteen  miles  to  the 
next  station.  Two  men  had  been  murdered  by  the  In- 
dians near  there  two  days  before.  It  was  late  at  night 
when  they  reached  Pitt  River.  There  they  stopped  at 
another  rangers'  camp,  the  captain  kindly  giving  them 
the  use  of  his  house  that  night.  The  snow  was  deep, 
and  it  was  dreadfully  cold,  and  they  appreciated  this 
kindness.  Soon  after  this  they  reached  the  settlements, 
and  felt  greatly  relieved.  The  toil  through  deep  snows, 
and  at  times  through  slush  and  mud,  climbing  the 
mountains  with  the  constant  strain  of  mind  in  view  of 
the  dangers  that  surrounded  them,  told  upon  all;  and 
when  thev  were  out  of  the  danger  the  reaction  was 
great,  and  an  inexpressible  sense  of  weariness  almost 
overpowered  them.  Who  can  imagine  what  they  had 
endured  for  weeks  in  this  perilous  journey? — all  endured 
in  carrying  the  pure  religion  of  Jesus  to  the  people  of 
Oregon. 

During  all  these  weeks  Brother  Fisher  never  let  go 
the  Divine  arm;  day  and  night  he  prayed.  No  sur- 
roundings of  camp  or  soldiery  could  make  him  forego 
the  privileges  of  prayer.  Ofttimes  kneeling  bv  their 
camp -fire,   bordered   by   snow,   this   man   of  God   was 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  151 

holding  to  the  promises  of  Jehovah  ana  pleading  for 
guidance  and  protection.  God  heard  him  and  brought 
all  in  safety  through  the  perils  of  the  wilderness,  and 
crowned  their  labors  with  glorious  success.  On  their 
reaching  Oregon  they  met  a  hearty  welcome  every- 
where, and  congregations  large  and  attentive. 

A  camp-meeting  was  appointed  to  be  held  near  Sa- 
lem, and  as  the  time  approached  there  were  rumors 
flying  through  the  neighborhood  that  "a  mob  intended 
to  rotten-egg  our  preachers,  declaring  that  no  camp- 
meeting  should  be  held  by  the  Southern  Methodists  in- 
the  State."  But  preparations  went  steadily  forward 
for  the  meeting:  men  and  women  that  had  braved  the 
perils  of  the  Pitt  and  Fall  River  country,  when  the  wild 
sons  of  the  forest  were  on  the  war-path,  could  not  be 
turned  from  duty  by  the  undertones  of  a  mob. 

The  usual  preparations  being  completed,  as  the 
preachers  and  their  families  rode  on  to  the  ground  on 
Saturday  they  saw  a  soiled  American  flag  flying  from 
the  corner  of  the  preacher's  stand.  C.  H.  E.  Newton, 
the  preacher  in  charge,  informed  them  that  it  had  been 
raised  by  a  party  of  "roughs.'1  Brother  Fisher  told 
him  it  was  all  right,  and  to  let  it  hang  there;  that  he 
loved  the  flag,  and  that  it  had  never  done  him  any 
harm. 

Late  that  evening  the  same  party  took  down  the 
flag,  and  without  provocation,  but  evidently  to  misrep- 
resent, rode  into  Salem  and  reported  that  Mr.  Newton 
had  refused  to  let  the  flag  stay  on  the  stand. 

The  good  people  saw  through  the  whole  thing,  and 
determined  that  Brother  Fisher  and  his  Church  should 
be  protected.  In  accordance  with  this  determination,, 
several  hundred  men  came  on  to  the  ground  on  Sunday' 


T52  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

morning,  fully  armed  and  prepared  for  any  emergency. 
It  was  one  of  Oregon's  most  lovely  Sabbath  morn- 
ings. Several  thousand  persons  were  on  the  grounds — 
some  for  worship  and  some  from  idle  curiosity.  The 
congregation  assembled  about  the  stand,  and  just  in  the 
rear  of  the  congregation  stood  a  mob  with  the  same 
soiled  flag  that  had  been  on  the  stand  the  day  before 
waving  over  them.  Their  presence  indicated  trouble, 
and  corroborated  the  reports  they  had  heard. 

Just  before  the  eleven-o'clock  service  Brother  New- 
ton rose  in  the  stand  and  stated  to  the  congregation  that 
he  had  not  objected  to  the  flag  being  on  the  stand,  as 
was  reported  of  him.  This  was  the  signal  for  the  dis- 
turbance to  begin.  The  mob  jerked  off  their  coats  and 
commenced  yelling,  "  Hang  him !  hang  him ! "  As  they 
bounded  over  the  seats,  men  and  women  ran,  children 
screamed,  women  fainted,  while  a  few  men  rushed  into 
the  stand,  and,  with  their  hands  on  their  revolvers,  com- 
manded the  mob  not  to  enter.  They  were  frenzied 
with  rage,  and  it  is  said  some  of  them  foamed  at  the 
mouth  like  wild  beasts.  Two  men  seized  the  leader, 
with  orders  for  him  to  stop;  but  he  kicked  and  fought 
as  if  determined  to  carry  out  his  blood-thirsty  designs. 
Many  of  the  ladies  stood  bravely  by  their  husbands, 
unterrifled  by  the  unusual  scene.  Sister  Fisher,  sup- 
ported by  Mrs.  Dr.  Belt,  of  Salem,  with  a  temerity  that 
was  born  of  conscious  right,  stepped  boldly  up  to  the 
raging  leader  and  ordered  him  to  behave  himself.  She 
talked  to  him  in  the  most  wonderful  manner,  Mrs. 
Belt  standing  by  and  encouraging  her  by  her  presence 
and  her  looks.  For  a  moment  he  looked  into  that  calm, 
resolute  face,  and  dropping  his  eyes  and  hanging  his 
head,  he  became  quiet.     Brother  Fisher,  in  the  most 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  153 

marvelous  manner,  soon  restored  order.  The  mob  sat 
down  on  the  straw  in  the  altar;  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren came  timidly  back  and  took  their  seats.  Without 
a  tremor  in  his  voice,  and  with  the  manner  that  he 
would  have  assumed  on  the  most  ordinary  occasion,  he 
announced  for  his  text:  "Love  worketh  no  ill  to  his 
neighbor;  therefore  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law." 
From  this  text  he  preached  a  most  powerful  and  telling 
sermon.  How  beautiful  he  made  the  religion  of  peace 
and  good-will  appear  that  day  no  one  but  those  who 
heard  him  can  know. 

The  next  day  the  leader's  father  sent  Sister  Fisher  a 
beautiful  piece  of  Oregon  cloth,  with  a  request  that  she 
accept  it  for  a  cloak,  as  a  token  of  his  appreciation  of 
the  timely  rebuke  she  had  given  his  son. 

These  people  were  laboring  under  a  false  impression, 
born  of  our  name,  "  South."  They  looked  upon  our 
Church  as  sectional,  and  conceived  that  we  could  come 
to  Oregon  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  introduce  the 
peculiar  views  of  the  South.  They  knew  nothing  of 
us,  nor  of  the  peculiar  principles  of  our  Church.  The 
sectional  hate  that  soon  after  culminated  in  civil  war 
was  then  rapidly  increasing,  and  it  required  but  little 
to  arouse  feelings  of  animosity  against  us.  But  the 
actions  of  this  mob  did  us  good.  It  brought  our  Church 
into  notice,  and  started  the  inquiry  as  to  the  necessity 
of  our  existence  in  Oregon.  God  was  with  our  preach- 
ers and  people  at  this  meeting,  and  scores  were  con- 
verted and  added  to  the  Church. 

The  two  years  that  Brother  Fisher  spent  in  Oregon 
were  years  of  great  toil,  but  numbered  among  the  hap- 
piest of  his  life.  Friends  gathered  about  him  and  his 
family,  and  everywhere  thev  went  doors  were  open  to 


154  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

them  and  the  Church  they  represented.  Eight  hun- 
dred members  and  probationers  had  been  added  to  the 
Church  as  part  of  the  fruit  of  their  labors  this  year. 

Brother  Fisher  saw  an  opening  for  an  institution  of 
learning  at  Corvallis.  A  school  that  had  been  in  oper- 
ation for  a  time  was  about  to  pass  out  of  the  hands  of 
those  who  had  established  it,  and  he  got  the  refusal  of 
the  property.  The  citizens  agreed  to  buy  the  property, 
provided  he  could  and  would  raise  $500  in  California. 
At  the  Conference  in  Sacramento  he  presented  its 
claims  in  so  seccessful  a  manner  that  the  required 
amount  was  subscribed.  This  was  not  done  without 
an  effort.  The  Pacific  Conference  was  already  en- 
gaged in  educational  enterprises  of  its  own.  Bascom 
Institute,  located  at  San  Jose,  was  involved  and  calling 
for  help.  Pacific  Methodist  College  was  in  its  nascent 
state,  and  the  Conference  by  formal  resolution  declared 
that  "  while  this  Conference  is  not  at  present  prepared 
to  assume  any  pecuniary  responsibility  for  any  educa- 
tional enterprise  other  than  those  to  which  we  are  al- 
ready pledged,  we  are  nevertheless  gratified  to  learn 
that  the  Rev.  O.  Fisher,  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Oregon 
District,  has  taken  steps  to  secure  for  educational  pur- 
poses, in  the  town  of  Corvallis,  Oregon,  a  valuable 
house,  and  grounds  attached;  and  in  view  of  the  pros- 
pective denominational  wants  of  our  Church  in  Ore- 
gon, we  heartily  sympathize  with  the  movement,  and 
commend  it  to  the  liberality  of  the  people  of  Oregon." 

Brother  Fisher  had  promised  the  people  of  Oregon 
to  raise  $500  in  California,  and  notwithstanding  this 
resolution  was  well  calculated  to  put  a  damper  upon 
the  movement,  he  would  not  be  content.  His  first  ap- 
peal secured  $210.50.     It  was  thought  by  many   that 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  155 

this  was  all  that  could  be  raised  for  this  object.  But 
the  securing  of  the  property  depended  upon  the  $500, 
and  this  amount  he  must  have.  Later  in  the  session  he 
sought  a  favorable  opportunity,  and  in  a  most  touch- 
ing appeal  he  brought  the  matter  again  before  us.  He 
had  come  all  the  long  distance  from  his  district  to  se- 
cure to  our  Church  this  valuable  property.  If  we  let 
this  opportunity  pass,  perhaps  no  other  such  would 
ever  be  presented  to  us.  His  appeal  was  overwhelm- 
ing, and  in  a  few  minutes  the  necessary  amount  was 
subscribed,  some  of  the  preachers  borrowing  money  to 
give. 

At  this  Conference  the  Oregon  wrork  was  enlarged, 
and  two  presiding  elders'  districts  formed.  O.  Fisher 
was  placed  as  Presiding  Flder  of  Oregon  District,  and 
J.  Gruwell  of  Jacksonville  District.  C.  H.  E.  Newton, 
I.  L.  Hopkins,  R.  C.  Martin,  James  Kelsay,  W.  M. 
Culp,  J.  E.  Parrott,  and  D.  M.  Rice  were  sent  by  the 
Conference  to  these  districts,  while  S.  M.  Stout,  J.  S. 
Doggett,  and  Nelson  King  were  employed  as  supplies. 

At  the  Conference  in  1S61  Brother  Fisher  intro- 
duced the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted  by 
the  Conference: 

Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  request  the  next  General  Con- 
ference to  create  a  new  Conference,  to  be  called  the  Oregon  Con- 
ference, which  shall  include  the  State  of  Oregon,  Washington 
Territory,  and  so  much  of  the  State  of  California  as  lies  north 
of  Scott's  Mountain. 

The  General  Conference  of  1862  failed  to  meet  on 
account  of  the  war,  and  the  organization  of  this  Con- 
ference was  necessarily  delayed. 

Brother  Fisher  did  full  work  in  California  after  his 
return  from  Oregon  for  a  number  of  years.     Four  years 


156  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

of  the  time  he   filled  the  office  of  presiding  elder,  an 
office  just  suited  to  his  genius  and  disposition. 

About  the  close  of  the  war  Brother  Fisher,  laboring 
under  the  impression  that  the  country  was  ruined,  and 
that  our  sister  Republic  of  Mexico  would  become  a 
place  of  refuge  for  many,  and  that  the  evangelization 
of  that  priest-ridden  land  lay  in  the  near  future,  turned 
his  face  to  the  south,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  1864  or 
the  first  part  of  1865  he  set  sail  for  Mazatlan.  The 
Rev.  D.  O.  Shattuck,  then  a  local  preacher  in  our 
Church,  had  preceded  him  about  a  month,  and  was 
making  arrangements  to  open  a  farm  near  the  city  of 
Mazatlan.  Judge  Shattuck  at  the  time  was  living  in  a 
hired  room  at  the  Presidio,  twenty-five  miles  from  Ma- 
zatlan, and  on  the  Mazatlan  River.  He  went  at  once  to 
where  Judge  Shattuck  lived,  and  made  his  home  with 
him  for  some  days.  They  went  out  prospecting  togeth- 
er, and  when  they  found  a  place  to  camp  they  moved 
to  it  and  made  arrangements  for  a  crop.  But  after  a 
few  days  of  camp-life  he  left.     Judge  Shattuck  says: 

While  we  remained  at  the  Presidio  we  had  frequent  conversa- 
tions upon  the  propriety  of  Protestant  efforts  there.  I  told  him 
of  my  experience  while  at  Panama — that  I  had  preached,  or 
heard  Protestant  preaching,  every  Sabbath — that  some  of  the 
most  respectable  natives  frequently  attended  our  worship,  and 
one  of  them,  the  head  of  a  very  respectable  family,  invited  me 
to  hold  prayer-meeting  at  his  house,  and  I  did  so,  to  the  seeming 
pleasure  of  the  family  and  neighbors.  We  made  a  trial  of  it  at 
my  hotel-room  at  the  Presidio,  a  town  of,  say,  one  thousand  in- 
habitants. I  invited  all  the  Americans  and  some  of  the  leading 
Mexicans  to  be  present  and  join  in  our  worship.  No  Mexicans 
came,  and  very  few  Americans,  except  what  constituted  my  fam- 
ily. Father  Fisher  held  a  short  service — good,  of  course.  In 
my  interview  with  the  people  the  next  day,  I  found  that  the  time 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  157 

had  not  come  for  any  peaceable  propagation  of  Protestantism, 
and  our  prospects  of  success  or  stay  there  forbid  our  attempting 
it  farther.  I  did  not  go  there  as  a  missionary,  but  as  a  farmer. 
But  I  advised  Father  Fisher  then  that  I  thought  he  was  in  the 
wrong  place,  and  had  better  return  immediately  to  California. 
This  he  refused  to  do,  and  went  with  us  when  we  settled  at  the 
camp.  After  a  few  days  of  our  camp-life  and  rough  work,  how- 
ever, he  became  convinced  of  his  want  of  adaptation  to  that  kind 
of  life,  and  left  us,  I  supposed  and  hoped,  to  return  to  his  family. 
But  to  my  astonishment  I  soon  learned  that  he  had  taken  up  a 
claim  between  us  and  Mazatlan,  hired  some  wood-cutters  to  pre- 
pare wood  for  the  Mazatlan  market,  and  had  bought  or  hired  a 
bungaloo,  or  large  canoe,  assumed  the  management  of  it  as  skip- 
per, and  was  freighting  his  own  wood  to  the  Mazatlan  market. 
This,  of  course,  was  a  failure,  but  employed  him  for  several 
months  before  he  finally  broke  down. 

The  next  time  I  saw  him — which  was  late  in  the  summer  of 
1865  —  he  was  at  an  American  boarding-house  in  Mazatlan. 
He  then  admitted  he  was  in  the  wrong  place.  He  was  destitute, 
and  was  running  a  borrowed  sewing-machine,  making  pantaloons 
for  some  Americans  to  earn  a  subsistence.  He  was  then  very 
willing  to  return,  and  looked  as  though  he  felt  as  I  think  Jonah 
did  after  his  experience  with  the  whale.  The  Masons  and  other 
friends  provided  for  and  sent  him  to  California. 

I  do  not  think  Brother  Fisher  attempted  religious  service  in 
Mexico,  except  the  one  before  mentioned.  Of  course  he,  in  all 
circumstances,  was  the  same  steady  Christian  that  he  had  ever 
been,  but  his  light  was  under  a  bushel  while  in  Mexico,  like  the 
rest  of  us.  That  his  motive  in  going  there  was  good  there  is  no 
doubt,  but  it  is  an  episode  that  will  not  add  to  the  glory  of  Meth- 
odism. I  think  it  was  a  mistake  in  his  very  useful  life,  but  not 
greater  than  that  made  by  Mr.  Wesley  as  a  missionary  to  the 
wild  Indians  of  Georgia.  It  shows  that  great  and  good  men  are 
not  always  wise. 

This  mistake  of  Brother  Fisher  was  a  most  natural 
one.  As  we  have  seen,  he  was  a  missionary  of  the 
grandest  type,  one  whose  soul  was  ever  running  out  to 


158  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

regions  beyond,  who  not  only  desired  that  "  the  king- 
doms of  this  world  should  become  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,"  but  he  wanted  to  be  in 
the  forefront  of  the  army  that  should  carry  the  victo- 
ries of  the  cross  to  these  kingdoms.  And  now  when 
the  fortunes  of  war  had  crushed  his  fondest  hopes, 
while  yet  the  smoke  and  the  dust  of  the  conflict  still 
hung  darkly  over  the  land,  it  only  required  the  point- 
ing of  a  finger  to  some  new  harvest-field  to  thrust  out 
this  eager,  indefatigable  laborer  of  the  Lord.  When 
he  saw  his  mistake  and  returned,  his  voice  was  soon 
heard,  as  of  yore,  calling  sinners  to  repentance  and  en- 
couraging the  saints  to  seek  more  of  God. 

In  1869  he  took  a  superannuated  relation  to  the  Con- 
ference, and  in  the  following  year  returned  to  Texas  to 
look  after  certain  interests  that  claimed  his  attention. 
With  open  arms  his  brethren  there  received  him  back. 
An  item  in  a  Texas  paper  says:  "The  Rev.  O.  Fisher, 
D.D.,  is  stirring  Texas  congregations  as  aforetime  with 
his  burning  eloquence.  When  under  the  full  afflatus, 
he  can  move  a  multitude  with  the  gospel  as  it  is  given 
but  few  men  to  do."  This  is  a  well-merited  compli- 
ment. He  was  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  evangel- 
ical preachers  that  ever  blessed  the  Methodist  Church. 
Take  him  one  sermon  with  another,  he  was  almost 
without  an  equal.  Though  we  have  heard  him  innu- 
merable times,  and  under  all  sorts  of  circumstances, 
yet  we  never  heard  him  make  a  failure. 

After  his  return  to  Texas  he  filled  several  appoint- 
ments as  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Austin  and  other  Dis- 
tricts until  the  winter  of  1879,  when  he  had  a  long  and 
severe  spell  of  pneumonia,  and  soon  after  his  recovery 
a  cancer  made  its  appearance  under  the  armpit.     It  was 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  159 

located  too  near  an  important  artery  to  use  the  knife, 
and  he  had  to  wait  the  slow  approaches  of  this  de- 
stroyer that  had  laid  siege  to  his  life.  He  suffered 
greatly  with  it,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  cavity 
was  very  large.  He  was  ever  hopeful  of  recovery,  and 
yet  submissive  to  the  Lord's  will,  as  he  had  ever  been. 
His  wife  writes:  "  The  third  day  before  his  death  he 
sat  up  most  of  the  day,  and  spoke  of  going  to  Florida 
as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  travel.  The  next  morning  he 
seemed  bright  and  cheerful,  and  wanted  to  rise  before 
breakfast,  saying  he  had  slept  well  all  night,  and 
seemed, to  feel  much  better.  While  I  was  getting 
things  ready  for  dressing  the  cancer,  he  wrent  off  into  a 
stupor.  I  thought  at  first  he  was  in  a  deep  sleep,  but 
it  lasted  so  long  I  felt  uneasy  and  tried  to  arouse  him, 
and  soon  found  that  he  was  perfectly  unconscious. 
Dr.  Swearingen  was  immediately  summoned,  and  told 
me  that  he  thought  it  doubtful  about  his  returning:  to 
consciousness.  I  was  sitting  by  his  bed  at  the  time, 
and  he  wanted  to  know  of  me  what  they  were  all  do- 
ing there.  I  told  him  what  his  condition  had  been,  and 
that  I  had  sent  for  them.  After  meditating  a  few  min- 
utes, he  looked  up  in  my  face  and  very  earnestly  in- 
quired what  I  thought  of  his  condition.  I  talked  with 
him  freely,  and  told  him  he  had  better  talk  to  our  chil* 
dren  and  give  them  a  parting  blessing.  This  he  did. 
He  remained  perfectly  conscious  for  some  hours,  talked 
freely  of  death,  and  for  the  first  time  seemed  to  realize 
that  death  was  inevitable.  He  said  if  it  was  the  Lord's 
will,  he  would  like  to  live  longer;  if  not,  he  was  ready 
and  willing  to  go.  Unconsciousness  soon  followed, 
from  which  he  never  fully  aroused.  He  passed  away 
peacefully  and  quietly." 


160  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Thus,  August  28,  1880,  died  one  to  whom  Pacific 
Methodism  owes  as  much  as  to  any  other  one  man. 

John  Calvin  Stewart  was  a  transfer  from  the  Alabama 
Conference,  being  on  trial  in  his  first  year.  He  was  a 
man  of  fine  education.  His  devotion  to  the  Church 
and  zeal  for  God  knew  no  bounds.  When  he  surren- 
dered and  enlisted  as  an  itinerant  preacher  he  reserved 
nothing — all  was  consecrated  to  God.  He  was  a  man 
of  deep  personal  piety  and  of  great  faith.  His  first  ap- 
pointment was  in  the  mines  on  the  El  Dorado  Circuit, 
from  which  he  brought  a  good  report  to  Conference. 

In  1859  the  Conference  resolved  to  establish  a  col- 
lege of  high  grade.  The  Committee  on  Education,  in 
their  report,  said: 

The  time  has  fully  come  when  the  necessities  of  our  people 
demand,  and  their  ability  is  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  build  up, 
a  college  for  the  education  of  their  sons.  It  is  a  denominational 
necessity.  Our  people  are  calling  for  it  already.  Young  men, 
moved  to  enter  the  Christian  ministry,  and  who  wish  to  prepare 
for  the  high  and  holy  calling,  are  forced  to  patronize  institutions 
more  than  inimical  to  their  social  and  religious  principles  and 
sympathies,  or  they  must  be  deprived  of  the  advantages  of  colle- 
giate culture  and  training  altogether.  To  be  content  with  such 
a  state  of  things  is  to  acknowledge  feebleness  and  inferiority. 
Without  entering  into  any  comparison  of  the  wealth  of  our  own 
and  other  Churches,  though  we  would  not  suffer  by  such  compar- 
ison, we  are  well  assured  that  the  ability  to  meet  its  wants  in  this 
regard  is  not  wanting.  The  people  need  an  institution  of  learn- 
ing, and  are  able  to  sustain  it.  It  is  our  solemn  duty  to  give 
them  the  opportunity.     We  therefore  recommend: 

1.  That  we  establish  an  institution  to  be  styled  the  Pacific 
Methodist  College. 

2.  That  the  Conference  appoint  a  Board  of  Trustees,  consist- 
ing of  twenty-five  members — thirteen  to  be  members  of  the  Pacific 
Conference  and  twelve  laymen — five  of  whom  shall  constitute  a 
quorum. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  161 

3.  That  the  place  offering  the  highest  sum  for  the  purchase  of 
grounds  and  the  erection  of  buildings  shall  be  selected  as  the  lo- 
cation of  the  college. 

4.  That  the  sum  of  $30,000  shall  be  raised  for  the  endowment 
of  the  professorships  in  said  college. 

5.  That  the  Bishop  be  requested  to  appoint  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Stewart  to  act  as  agent  for  said  college,  collecting  funds  for  its 
endowment,  etc. 

6.  That  Bishop  Pierce  be  requested  to  give  his  influence  and 
efforts  to  secure  a  faculty. 

This  is  the  work  we  propose  to  do.  Let  us  show  that  we  are 
willing. 

Accordingly,  J.C.Stewart  was  appointed  Agent,  and 
entered  at  once  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  As  in 
every  thing  else,  he  was  conscientious  in  his  labors. 
When  he  went  to  a  place,  or  called  upon  any  man,  he 
spent  no  more  time  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 
Nothing  could  tempt  him  to  loiter.  He  took  the  col- 
lege fully  into  his  heart,  and  pressed  its  claims  with  un- 
wearied zeal  upon  every  one  whom  he  thought  inter- 
ested, or  who  could  be  interested  in  the  enterprise. 
From  week  to  week  he  wrote  an  account  of  his  travels 
for  the  Pacific  Metlwdist,  detailing  such  incidents  as 
he  thought  would  be  of  interest  to  the  Church.  A  re- 
fusal to  respond  to  his  first  appeal  did  not  discourage 
or  dishearten  him.  He  would  often  importune  persons 
with  a  persistence  worthy  of  the  noble  object  for  which 
he  pleaded.  Upon  a  certain  occasion  he  had  appealed  to 
a  good  sister  for  a  subscription.  She  refused,  but  he 
continued  to  importune.  Argument  after  argument 
was  presented,  objection  after  objection  was  answered, 
until  at  last  the  lady  said,  "  I  will  give  you  a  hundred 
dollars  for  the  college  if  vou  will  let  me  select  a  text  for 
your  funeral  sermon.'1  He  agreed,  and  when  the  note 
11 


1 63  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

was  signed,  and  he  asked  to  know  the  text,  she  said, 
"And  the  beggar  died  also."  But  few  men  ever  held 
their  work  up  to  God  more  constantly  and  earnest- 
ly than  he.  This  was  one  secret  of  his  success.  He 
was  constantly  breathing  a  prayer  to  God  for  success 
upon  his  efforts.  Wherever  he  went  in  his  agency  he 
preached  on  the  Sabbath.  His  brethren  were  always 
glad  of  his  coming,  knowing  that  he  was  ever  willing 
and  able  to  preach.  His  presence  was  ever  a  benedic- 
tion. In  the  families  he  talked  religion,  and  wherever 
he  went  he  left  the  impression  among  the  people  that 
a  man  of  God  had  been  with  them.  After  one  year's 
labor  in  the  agency  he  presented  the  following  report: 
"  Eighteen  thousand  and  fourteen  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
have  been  secured  for  the  endowment  of  Pacific  Meth- 
odist College,  and  fifteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
three  dollars  for  the  building  of  the  college.  About 
two  hundred  volumes  have  been  secured  for  the  col- 
lege library,  and  a  plan  for  the  college  building  has 
been  presented  by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Simmons  and  Dr.  L. 
H.  Bascom,  worth  about  $50;  so  that  the  assets  of  the 
college  now  exceed  $34,000." 

The  Committee  on  Education,  in  their  report,  say: 
"  From  this  report  it  will  be  seen  that,  with  the  blessing 
of  God,  the  labors  of  the  Agent  have  been  rewarded 
with  gratifying  success.  The  heart  of  the  Church  has 
responded  to  the  movement,  while  a  host  of  patriotic, 
conscientious,  and  liberal  men  and  women,  not  within 
our  Communion,  have  given  their  sympathy,  their  in- 
fluence, and  their  means  to  the  enterprise.  For  the  suc- 
cess realized  under  God  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  the 
enterprise  and  untiring  exertions  of  the  Agent,  whose  ap- 
pointment to  the  work  we  can  but  consider  providential.'" 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  163 

A  request  was  made,  and  he  was  re-appointed  Agent. 
Provision  was  made  for  opening  the  school,  with  Chas. 
S.  Smyth  as  principal;  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  prepare  a  course  of  study  and  to  enter  upon  a  corre- 
spondence for  president  and  faculty,  so  soon  as  build- 
ings could  be  prepared. 

According  to  the  proposition  made  by  the  trustees, 
the  college  was  to  be  located  at  the  place  giving  the 
largest  amount  toward  the  building.  Cacheville,  in 
Yolo  County,  made  the  largest  bid,  and  the  location 
was  accepted.  Preparations  were  at  once  begun  for 
the  erection  of  suitable  buildings.  An  immense  kiln 
of  brick  was  burned,  when  it  was  discovered  that  the 
clay  of  which  the  brick  were  made  was  unsuitable,  and 
the  labor  was  lost.  Pending  this  difficulv,  complaints 
began  to  come  in  of  the  unsuitableness  of  the  location. 
It  was  claimed  that  Cacheville,  being  a  very  small  vil- 
lage, was  altogether  out  of  the  way.  There  were  no 
facilities  for  reaching  it,  and  then  it  was  thought  to  be 
unhealthy.  It  was  high  up  in  the  Sacramento  Valley, 
where  the  summers  were  extremely  hot,  and  in  the  win- 
ter the  mud  and  water  would  seriously  interfere  with 
the  school.  Accordingly,  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  was  called  in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  the 
whole  matter  thoroughly  canvassed.  It  was  argued 
with  great  force  that,  even  if  the  location  were  not 
unhealthv,  which  the  residents  claimed,  yet  if  the  im- 
pression went  abroad  that  it  was,  the  effect  would  be 
the  same  on  the  interests  of  the  school.  Just  then  a 
proposition  came  up  from  Vacaville,  a  small  town  in 
the  edge  of  the  foot-hills  in  Solano  County,  to  let  us 
have  certain  buildings  at  that  place  at  a  low  figure — 
buildings   that    had   been   erected    for   school    purposes. 


164  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

This  place  was  healthful.  It  was  not  far  from  the  pro- 
posed line  of  the  California  Pacific  Railroad  that  was 
to  be  built  in  a  few  years.  Having  buildings  already 
furnished,  we  could  commence  operations  without  dela\\ 
So  it  was  decided  to  abandon  the  first  location,  losing- 
all  our  interests  there,  and  accept  the  proposition  com- 
ing from  Vacaville.  Subsequent  events  showed  this 
last  movement — the  location  at  Vacaville — to  be  a  great 
mistake.  We  had  to  import  every  thing  to  this  place. 
There  were  at  the  time  scarcely  inhabitants  enough 
there  to  dignify  it  with  the  title  of  town,  and  while 
near  a  proposed  railroad,  it  was  off  the  main  line  of 
travel;  and  there  was  nothing  specially  attractive  about 
the  location.  The  grand  moving  cause  was  that  there 
were  buildings  already  to  our  hand,  and  we  could  com- 
mence operations  at  once.  After  another  year's  work 
the  Agent,  J.  C.  Stewart,  presented  the  following  re- 
port: 

Prime  cost  of  the  buildings,  $9,300;  painting,  fencing,  etc., 
$450.10.  Total,  $9,754.10.  The  endowment  fund  now  amounts 
to  $20,526.92,  secured  as  follows:  Cash  in  hands  of  the  Treasurer, 
P.  H.  Russell,  $210;  cash  in  hands  of  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  $100; 
cash  in  hands  of  Agent,  $100;  cash  loaned,  $247.92;  personal 
notes  bringing  interest  at  15  per  cent,  per  annum,  $19,969.  There 
has  been  collected  of  the  interest  of  the  endowment  fund  during 
the  year,  $1,494.25.  This  has  been  expended  as  follows:  For 
printing  catalogue,  $84;  salaries  of  teachers,  $243;  expressage, 
$10.  Balance  in  hands  of  Treasurer,  $1,077.75.  Balance  in  hands 
of  Agent,  $79.50.  The  trustees  have  borrowed  $1,000  of  this  in- 
terest for  the  purchase  of  an  apparatus,  and  have  directed  Dr. 
W.  T.  Luckey  (who  had  been  elected  president  of  the  college) 
to  bring  it  with  him. 

The  teachers  were  Profs.  C.  S.  Smyth  and  S.  B. 
Morse;    the   school    had   increased    from   fifteen   at  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  165 

opening  to  forty,  more  than  half  of  them  young  men. 
None  of  these  students  were  yet  in  college  classes  proper, 
and  some  of  them  were  in  primary  studies.  The  next 
year  J.  C.  Stewart  took  his  place  in  the  regular  ranks 
as  a  pastor,  and  was  sent  to  Napa  Circuit;  the  two  years 
following,  to  Los  Angeles. 

This  was  during  the  Civil  War.  From  the  beginning 
of  the  trouble  his  whole  great  soul  was  stirred.  He 
was  in  deepest  sympathy  with  the  South  in  her  hard 
struggle,  and  he  ardently  desired  to  go  back  to  his  old 
home  and  do  what  he  could  to  help  her.  He  talked 
and  prayed  about  it  a  great  deal,  and  at  length  made  up 
his  mind  to  make  the  attempt  to  reach  his  home  by 
going  through  Mexico.  Accordingly,  he  set  out  on  his 
perilous  journey.  He  reached  Mazatlan  in  safety. 
There  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  man  calling 
himself  Green,  who  professed  to  have  the  same  desire 
to  reach  and  assist  the  South.  He  ingratiated  himself 
into  the  favor  of  Brother  Stewart,  and  they  set  out  on 
horseback  across  the  Republic  of  Mexico.  In  a  few 
days  the  man  Green  returned  on  Stewart's  horse,  claim- 
ing that  Stewart  had  met  a  party  of  friends  who  were 
going  across  the  country  in  a  coach,  and  that  he  had 
turned  his  horse  over  to  him.  He  also  had  Stewart's 
saddle-bags,  and  on  examining  the  contents,  his  Bible 
and  Hymn-book  were  found  in  them.  Foul  play  was 
suspected.  A  party  took  Green  and  went  out  in  search 
of  Stewart.  Somewhere  in  the  State  of  Chihuahua 
they  came  upon  their  last  camping-place,  and  there  they 
found  the  dead  body  of  J.  C.  Stewart.  The  evening 
before  his  death  they  had  set  around  their  camp-fire. 
Stewart,  as  his  custom  was,  had  read  his  Bible,  written 
in   his   Diary,  and   perhaps  had  offered  a  prayer  for  the 


i66  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

wretch  who  was  planning  to  murder  him,  and  lay  down 
upon  his  blankets  and  went  to  sleep.  Sometime  during 
the  night  Green  arose,  took  Stewart's  own  gun  and  blew 
his  brains  out.  Thus  ended  the  life  of  one  of  the  most 
devoted,  conscientious  members  of  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence. 

B.  R.  Johnson  was  born  in  the  State  of  Missouri, 
Sept.  17,  1807.  He  transferred  to  us  from  the  St.  Louis 
Conference.  He  was  then  in  the  prime  of  his  life, 
though  he  had  labored  for  a  number  of  years  in  his  own 
Conference.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind.  His  ser- 
mons were  logical  and  always  well  arranged.  He  was 
somewhat  eccentric  in  his  manner.  Young  people,  as 
a  general  thing,  were  afraid  of  him.  But  his  harshness 
was  only  in  the  seeming.  When  once  you  got  within 
the  sacred  circle  of  his  confidence,  you  found  him  a  man 
of  great  heart  and  sterling  worth.  He  was  ever  true  to 
his  friends.  As  an  illustration  of  the  man  and  his  man- 
ner, when  he  was  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Petaluma  Dis- 
trict, in  1 86 1,  he  worked  quietly  among  the  friends  of 
Dr.  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  the  editor  of  the  Pacific  Method- 
ist; and  at  the  Conference,  when  his  name  was  called, 
and  the  Doctor  withdrew,  as  usual,  and  his  character 
passed,  on  his  return  Brother  Johnson  rose  and  met 
him.  Holding  in  his  hand  a  beautiful  and  costly  cane, 
he  said:  "It  is  charged  against  you  that  you  will  persist 
in  not  taking  notice  of  those  who  attack  you,  but  that 
you  go  straight  forward  in  your  chosen  course,  seeming 
to  say  to  them, '  I  am  engaged  in  a  great  work,  and  can- 
not come  down.'  It  is  also  charged  that  you  will  carry 
out  your  views  of  right,  despite  all  the  threats  and  dem- 
onstrations of  any  and  all  persons.  For  these  and  other 
reasons  it  is  thought  by  many  persons  on  the  Petaluma 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  167 

District  that  you  deserve  a  good  caning,  and  I  am  ready 
to  bestow  it."  Approaching  the  editor  with  the  cane, 
and  holding  it  up,  he  continued:  "This  cane  emblem- 
izes  the  Pacific  Methodist.  First,  Tucker  (the  manu- 
facturer) always  gets  up  the  best  articles.  The  handle 
is  of  pure  gold,  and  represents  the  contents  of  the  paper 
— pure,  sound,  and  excellent.  Second,  the  head  of  the 
cane  is  beautifully  ornamented,  and  so  is  the  paper  in 
mechanical  and  artistic  execution — or  it  will  be  so,  at 
least,  when  Genella's  Big  Pitcher  is  taken  out  of  it  (re- 
ferring to  a  naming  advertisement).  Third,  the  crook 
of  the  handle  represents  the  way  the  editor  has  of  draw- 
ing friends  around  him  and  holding  them;  while  the 
lower  end,  straight  and  somewhat  pointed,  symbolizes 
the  facility  with  which  he  thrusts  off  those  who  get  in 
his  way.  Fourth,  the  native  gold-bearing  quartz  setting 
represents  his  skill  in  eliciting  the  original  talent  of  his 
correspondents,  so  that  he  will  even  admit  grammatical 
inaccuracies  to  draw  out  their  native  genius.  Fifth,  the 
wood  is  called  iron-wood,  and  reminds  us  that  though 
the  editor's  frame  is  not  strong,  he  has  a  will  of  iron  in 
standing  up  for  the  right.  Sixth,  the  ferrule  at  the  bot- 
tom is  steel,  which  is  very  durable,  figuring  that  the 
principles  he  advocates  rest  upon  a  very  strong  founda- 
tion, even  the  sure  word  of  God.  Rise,  sir,  and  receive 
your  caning." 

Brother  Johnson  was  true  to  his  Church  and  his 
friends.  But  his  odd  ways  often  made  those  not  well 
acquainted  with  him  to  hold  themselves  aloof  from  him. 

Alighting  from  his  buggy  at  the  home  of  a  brother, 
where  he  had  been  directed  to  spend  the  night,  he  be- 
gan to  take  out  his  horse.  The  gentleman  very  kindly 
began  to  assist  him.     Turning  to  him,  he  said: 


168  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

"Do  you  want  to  help  me?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  the  man. 

"Then  let  my  harness  alone." 

The  man  let  him  and  his  harness  alone. 

Upon  a  certain  occasion  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  defend 
the  Methodist  Church  against  the  attacks  of  a  sect  that 
had  openly  assailed  it.  He  announced  that  at  a  certain 
time  he  would  do  so.  On  the  day  appointed  he  ap- 
peared in  the  pulpit  clad  in  a  calico  morning  wrapper. 
After  the  preliminary  service  he  said:  "As  I  was  going 
into  a  dirty  job  this  morning,  I  thought  I  would  not  wear 
my  best  clothes."  And  the  manner  in  which  he  han- 
dled his  opponents  and  their  gratuitous  attacks  on  his 
Church  made  every  one  feel  that  they  were  not  as  good 
as  they  might  be. 

He  worked  faithfully  for  a  number  of  years.  At  one 
time  he  sustained  a  superannuated  relation  to  the  Con- 
ference. Then  he  transferred,  in  the  year  1870,  to  the 
Columbia  Conference,  and  was  sent  by  that  body  to  the 
General  Conference  that  met  in  1874. 

He  located  some  few  years  before  his  death.  As  he 
neared  the  end  of  his  journey  his  piety  took  on  a  mel- 
lower type.  His  cup  of  joy  was  full  to  overflowing. 
When  the  rocky  banks  of  the  Jordan  were  reached,  God 
shod  his  beloved,  as  it  were,  anew  "writh  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  peace."  And  when  he,  who  with 
the  rigor  of  John  the  Baptist  had  told  the  people  of  their 
duty  and  their  sins,  was  about  to  be  called  into  the  pres- 
ence of  his  King,  the  King  sent  and  clothed  him  for  his 
presentation.  He  died  at  his  little  home  in  Napa  City, 
Nov,  18,  1881. 

Theophilus  W.  Moore  was  transferred  to  us  from  the 
North  Carolina  Conference.      He  was  an  earnest,  sweet- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  169 

spirited  preacher,  who  did  not  tarry  with  us  long.  At 
the  end  of  his  second  year  he  was  transferred  and  re- 
turned to  his  native  Conference. 

J.  W.  Ellis  was  also  received  at  this  session  as  a  trans- 
fer from  the  Alabama  Conference.  His  labors  among 
us  were  brief.  The  first  year  he  was  sent  to  Mariposa, 
where  God  honored  and  blessed  his  ministry  in  a  gra- 
cious revival  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  The  next  year 
he  was  sent  to  Los  Angeles;  but  soon  after  entering 
upon  his  work  there  he  fell  sick,  and  after  a  very  brief 
illness  of  four  days  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  assuring  those 
around  him  that  he  had  no  fear  of  death.  It  is  said  that 
he  was  converted  at  a  camp-meeting  at  night,  in  his 
fourteenth  year.  The  day  following  his  conversion  he 
was  in  a  tent  praying  for  a  clearer  evidence  of  his  ac- 
ceptance with  God  and  for  a  fuller  salvation.  "  He  was 
most  powerfully  blessed,  and  was  most  extraordinarily 
impressed  with  the  goodness  of  God  in  the  remedial 
plan,  and  felt  that  God  had  called  him  to  publish  this 
salvation  to  a  ruined  world;  but  being  young  and  inex- 
perienced— only  fourteen  years  of  age — he  pleaded  his 
youth  and  inability,  and  did  not  enter  upon  the  active 
duties  of  the  ministry  until  his  twenty-second  year. 
As  a  man,  Brother  Ellis  was  a  high-minded  Christian 
gentleman.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  clear,  scriptural,  and 
strong,  impressing  his  audiences  with  the  necessity  of  a 
present  salvation.  When  some  of  his  friends  in  Ala- 
bama attempted  to  dissuade  him  from  his  contemplated 
transfer  to  the  Pacific,  and  told  him  that  he  would  die 
here,  he  calmly  replied,  '  I  can  shout  my  way  to  heaven 
as  easily  from  the  Pacific  as  from  the  Atlantic' ': 

At  this  session  we  admitted  on  trial  seven,  viz.:  J.  G. 
Shelton,  J.  Bonsall,  M.  Maupin,   R.  A.  Latimer.  J.  T. 


170  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Cox,  S.  Cushing,  and  R.  C.  Martin.  Two  were  re- 
admitted— L.  C.  Adams  and  J.  H.  Bristow.  The  last 
named  was  immediately  transferred  to  the  Louisville 
Conference.  God  was  setting  his  seal  to  our  ministry 
on  this  coast  by  calling  to  our  help  these  young  men, 
and  putting  them  into  the  ministry. 

J.  G.  Shelton  came  in  an  early  day  from  Missouri  to 
the  mines  of  California.  He  had  been  a  member  of 
the  Church,  and  was  fleeing  from  a  call  to  preach.  He 
attended  the  services  of  J.  C.  Simmons,  in  Grass  Valley, 
in  1852.  At  a  prayer-meeting  he  was  called  upon  to 
pray.  While  praying  the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon 
him,  and  the  preacher,  though  he  knew  nothing  of  his 
life  or  convictions,  felt  assured  that  he  was  one  that 
God  had  called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  sought 
an  interview  with  him,  and  told  him  of  his  convictions. 
He  frankly  acknowledged  it,  but  said  he  had  no  educa- 
tion, and  did  not  feel  himself  competent.  The  preacher 
assured  him  that  God  made  no  mistakes,  and  that  if  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  preach,  he  never  would  enjoy  perfect 
peace  until  he  yielded  to  his  convictions.  When  he  be- 
gan to  reflect  on  what  he  had  admitted,  he  determined  to 
fly  the  place.  He  threw  up  his  mining  claim,  and  set  out 
for  his  home  in  the  East.  When  he  reached  San  Fran- 
cisco, R.  A.  Latimer,  who  had  known  him  in  the  mines, 
met  him,  and  said:  "  You  are  the  very  man  I  am  look- 
ing for.  I  have  a  vegetable  ranch  near  San  Juan,  and 
I  need  a  partner,  and  you  must  go  with  me."  He  went, 
and  began  gardening.  The  blessed  revival  under  J.  T. 
Cox,  that  embraced  this  neighborhood,  again  brought 
him  under  strong  convictions  of  duty-  In  the  fall  of 
the  year  1854,  J.  C.  Simmons  accidentally  met  him  in 
Stockton,  as  he  was  selling  a  load  of  vegetables  he  had 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  171 

brought  up  from  the  ranch.  He  had  heard  of  the  glo- 
rious revival,  and  began  inquiring  of  Shelton  concern- 
ing his  call  to  the  ministry.  Simmons  wrote  to  J.  T. 
Cox,  posting  him  in  regard  to  the  young  man's  convic- 
tions, and  requested  him  to  urge  him  to  duty.  And  the 
result  was  his  application  for  admission  into  the  Con- 
ference at  this  session.  He  was  admitted,  and  has 
proved  one  of  our  most  faithful,  trusted  preachers  ever 
since — never  a  year  without  work — ready  to  take  any 
appointment  the  Conference  may  give  him. 

As  a  builder,  he  is  a  regular  Nehemiah.  When  sent 
to  the  Dry  town  Circuit,  in  Amador  County,  in  1858,  he 
built  a  brick  church  at  Drytown,  and  paid  oft'  a  heavy 
debt  on  the  church  at  Volcano,  in  the  same  circuit.  In 
i860  he  built  a  parsonage  at  Colusa,  and  the  same  year 
built  a  church  in  Sutter  County,  twenty  miles  below 
Colusa,  called  Salem  Church.  He  secured  by  purchase 
two  acres  of  land  and  a  house  for  a  parsonage  at  Hope- 
ton  in  1863.  Here  he  endured  hardness  as  a  good 
soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  at  one  time  being  entirely  out 
of  provisions,  and  having  no  money  with  which  to  buy 
more.  Like  the  widow  of  Sarepta,  his  wife  cooked  the 
last  handful  of  meal,  not  "knowing  where  the  next  was 
to  come  from.  But  the  Lord,  whose  resources  are 
boundless,  supplied  their  wants  at  the  proper  time. 
This  was  the  hardest  year  of  his  ministry.  But  the 
dark  cloud  had  a  silver  lining,  and  the  year  closed  with 
a  glorious  and  successful  camp-meeting,  at  which 
Brother  John  Ruddle  was  happily  converted,  wJicse 
faithfulness  and  devotion  to  our  Church  has  placed  him 
in  the  front  rank.  Others  who  have  proved  useful 
members  to  the  present  day  were  brought  to  Christ 
during  this  meeting.     In  186S  he  was  again  in  Colusa, 


172  History   of  Southern  Methodism 

and  built  a  brick  church  that  did  us  good  service  in  that 
town.  In  1870  he  built  a  parsonage  in  Princeton,  and 
raised  a  subscription  for  a  church,  but  before  the  plans 
were  consummated  the  work  was  abandoned  on  ac- 
count of  the  drought  He  helped  to  pay  a  heavy  debt 
On  the  Millville  Circuit  in  1872.  When  sent  to  Modes- 
to he  secured  a  most  eligible  lot  in  that  town,  and  built 
a  church,  furnishing  it  throughout,  and  supplying  it 
writh  a  bell,  organ,  etc.  The  same  year  he  moved  the 
parsonage  from  Burneyville  eleven  miles,  refitted  it,  in- 
closed the  parsonage  lot,  set  out  shrubbery,  and  left  ev- 
ery thing  in  good  condition.  In  1875  he  repaired  the 
parsonage  at  Linden,  and  bought  an  organ  for  the 
church.  He  repaired  the  church  in  Healdsburg  in  1879, 
paying  off  an  old  debt.  He  did  the  same  for  church 
and  parsonage  at  Knight's  Landing.  He  paid  some  old 
debts  and  finished  the  church  at  Maxwell.  Who  can 
estimate  the  value  of  such  a  man  ?  He  has  held 
twenty-three  camp-meetings,  received  over  700  mem- 
bers into  the  Church,  six  of  whom  have  entered  the 
ministry.  He  is  a  safe  man.  He  never  contracts  any 
debts  for  the  Church,  pays  off  all  that  come  in  his  way, 
and  after  thirty-one  years  of  hard  labor  is  still  with  his 
hands  uplifted,  pressing  on  in  the  whitening  field. 
While  no  man  ever  works-  more  faithfully  than  he,  yet 
he  is  prone  to  look  at  the  dark  side  of  the  picture.  His 
fears  trouble  him  more  than  they  should.  A  good 
Brother  Hardwick,  upon  a  certain  occasion,  to  illustrate 
this  «trait  in  his  character,  in  his  presence  said,  "  When 
Brother  Shelton  gets  to  heaven,  he  will  look  all  up  and 
down  the  place;  he'll  see  the  river  of  life,  the  trees  that 
grow  upon  the  banks  of  the  river;  he'll  eat  of  the  fruit, 
he'll  listen  to  the  songs  of  the   redeemed,  and  will  say, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  173 

*  Well,  now,  look  here!  isn't  this  mighty  nice?  I  tell 
you  it  is  grand;  but  what  will  we  do  if  all  this  gives 
out? '  "  But  the  successes  and  experiences  of  long  years 
of  faithful  service  have  had  a  wonderful  effect  in  clear- 
in  2f  his  wav,  and  he  now  bends  to  the  work  with  a 
shout  and  a  song  that  are  refreshing  and  inspiring. 

J.  Bonsall  labored  but  a  single  year,  when  he  was  dis- 
continued at  his  own  request. 

Milton  Maupin  was  a.  most  excellent  young  man, 
and  gave  promise  of  great  usefulness,  but  at  the  end  of 
his  second  year  he  "was  discontinued  and  returned  to 
his  native  State,  Tennessee. 

R.  A.  Latimer  was  an  earnest,  faithful  man,  a  good 
and  systematic  preacher.  His  sermons  were  always 
short,  but  well  arranged  and  interesting.  He  labored 
in  the  bounds  of  the  Pacific  Conference  for  more  than 
a  score  of  years,  when  he  removed  to  the  Los  Angeles 
Conference,  where  with  ripening  years  he  is  waiting 
the  call  of  his  beloved  Master  to  the  rest  of  the  faithful. 

Simeon  dishing  during  his  first  year  was  called  back 
to  his  old  home  on  account  of  the  affliction  of  some  of 
his  family  in  the  East,  and.as  he  never  reported  to  the 
Conference,  he  was  discontinued  at  the  ensuing  session. 

J.  T.  Cox  in  many  respects  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable men  ever  connected  with  our  Conference. 
The  early  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  the  service  of  sin; 
but  when  he  turned  to  God  and  was  converted,  he 
served  God  as  faithfully  as  he  had  served  Satan.  He 
made  his  first  appearance  as  a  preacher  near  Gilroy. 
He  was  a  very  corpulent  man,  weighing  between  250 
and  300  pounds.  He  was  full  of  life  and  fun,  and  was 
in  every  sense  a  most  companionable  man.  His  one 
consuming-  desire  was  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.     As 


174  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

W.  R.  Bane,  who  was  led  to  Christ  through  his  instru- 
mentality, says,  "  He  was  a  remarkable  man.  The  sin- 
ner's trail  was  never  too  cold  for  him;  nor  was  there 
any  place  for  him  to  hide  away  from  his  ever-vigilant, 
detective  eye."  Sometime  during  the  year  1853  he  be- 
gan holding  meetings  in  the  vicinity  of  Gilroy  and  Wat- 
sonville.  On  June  4,  of  that  year,  the  first  Quarterly 
Conference  was  organized  in  Pleasant  Valley,  as  it  was 
then  called — now  Gilroy — W.  R.  Gober,  Presiding  Eld- 
er, and  J.  T.  Cox,  preacher  in  charge.  It  was  called 
the  San  Juan  and  Santa  Cruz  Circuit.  This  Quarterly 
Conference  was  held  in  a  little  shanty  occupied  by  five 
young  men,  four  of  whom  were  of  the  Campbellite  per- 
suasion. This  was  the  first  regular  organization  of  any 
Church  in  this  part  of  the  valley.  W.  R.  Bane  says  of 
it:  "When  the  meeting  was  dismissed,  there  being  no 
hotel  or  convenient  stopping-place  for  the  preachers, 
my  wife  being  present,  readily  took  in  the  situation,  and 
without  fear  introduced  herself  to  the  preachers,  and 
took  them  home  with  her  to  dinner,  and  from  that  for- 
ward preachers  invariably  had  a  hearty  welcome  to 
her  humble  fare.  I  at  the  time  was  crossing  the  plains 
with  cattle.  '  Father '  Cox,  the  circuit  preacher,  as  he 
was  then  called,  made  frequent  visits  to  my  family  in 
my  long  absence,  but  never  without  offering  prayer  in 
behalf  of  the  absent  one.  About  four  months  after  the 
holding  of  this  Conference  I  reached  home,  and  soon 
thereafter  made  the  acquaintance  of '  Father '  Cox,  and 
expressed  myself  as  so  pleased  with  him  that  one  of 
the  stewards  of  the  Church  mustered  up  courage  suffi- 
cient to  lay  the  old  gentleman's  exceedingly  pressing 
wants  before  me  with  a  very  tremulous  voice — when 
I,  for  the  first  time,   endeavored   to  meet  them   in  my 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  175 

awkward  manner  with  bacon  and  flour;  and  from  that 
glad  day  forward  my  hand  has  not  been  slack  in  that 
direction." 

In  October  of  this  year  Father  Cox  held  a  camp- 
meeting  at  Souquel,  at  which  there  were  a  number 
of  conversions,  and  fourteen  persons  added  to  our 
Church.  November  6  one  was  held  near  Watsonville, 
which  resulted  in  the  accession  of  thirty-nine  members, 
and  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month  still  another  was 
held  at  the  same  place.  This  was  said  to  have  been  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  meetings  ever  held  in  that  val- 
ley. Father  Cox  preached  as  one  inspired.  He  went 
from  tent  to  tent,  and  wherever  he  could  find  sinners 
he  was  talking  to  them  of  their  salvation.  Before  the 
meeting  he  had  gone  all  through  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, urging  saints  and  sinners  to  go  to  the  meeting. 
Among  others  he  prevailed  on  W.  R.  Bane,  who  was 
then  out  of  Christ,  and  did  not  know  the  first  rudiments 
of  religion,  to  attend,  which  was  his  first  step  in  that 
direction.  In  writing  of  the  meeting,  Brother  Bane 
says:  "  I  never  shall  forget  the  hearty  welcome  I  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  Mother  Davis,  as  she  was  called, 
on  that  occasion.  There  was  no  waiting  for  a  formal 
introduction.  She  came  to  me,  a  stranger,  and  said: 
'This  is  Mr.  Bane,  I  believe?'  'That  is  my  name.'  'I 
am  Mrs.  Davis  (pointing  her  finger  toward  her  tent); 
that  is  our  tent  and  your  home.'  It  was  during  this 
camp-meeting  that  Mother  Brown  (the  mother  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Brown  and  mother-in-law  of  W. 
R.  Bane)  got  so  unspeakably  happy  that  she  faint- 
ed away  in  the  altar  at  the  evening  service,  as  some 
supposed,  when  Dr.  Bryant  was  hurriedly  called  in, 
and    at    which    announcement    I    ventured    niofh,    and 


176  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

heard  the  Doctor  say,  '  Don't  be  alarmed;  she  is  all 
right'  Soon  after  she  came  to  herself,  when  I  heard 
her  say  in  a  low  whisper,  'O  I  am  so  happy!'  At 
which  exclamation  every  doubt  I  had  previously  enter- 
tained in  regard  to  the  reality  of  experimental  religion 
in  a  moment  fled.  But,  strange  to  say,  while  I  was  a 
hardened  sinner,  and  there  were  scores  of  bright  and 
happy  conversions  all  around  me  upon  that  occasion,  I 
still  had  power  to  resist,  yea,  stubbornly  resist  offered 
mercy,  and  left  the  camp -ground  a  miserable  wretch." 

The  results  of  this  meeting  are  not  now  known,  no 
record  of  it  being  found.  To  these  camp-meeetings  as 
much  as  any  other  human  agency,  perhaps,  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  establishment  of  our  Church  in  this  part 
of  the  State. 

J.  T.  Cox  was  returned  to  this  work  the  second  year, 
and  his  labors  were  crowned  with  even  greater  success 
than  those  of* the  year  before.  He  assisted  in  what  was 
known  as  the  first  Toll-gate  Camp-meeting,  near  the  city 
of  San  Jose.  This  was  a  remarkable  meeting,  and  did 
much  to  strengthen  the  station  at  San  Jose  and  the 
Santa  Clara  Circuit.  Some  of  the  members  from  Wat- 
sonville  and  Gilroy,  having  attended  the  meeting,  re- 
turned with  their  hearts  fixed  on  holding  a  camp-meet- 
ing near  Gilroy.  W.  R.  Bane  says:  "  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  surprise  party  at  my  house  as  these  camp-meet- 
ingers  returned  home  with  Father  Cox  commander-in- 
chief.  They — i.  e.,  the  San  Juan,  Watsonville,  and  Gil- 
roy folks — concluded  to  hold  religious  services  at  my 
house  at  night,  and,  if  at  all  possible,  to  arrange  for  a 
camp-meeting  at  Gilroy,  or  Pleasant  Valley,  as  it  was 
then  called.  So  at  '  early  candle-light,'  the  time  ap- 
pointed, they  came  flocking  in  without  leave  or  license, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  177 

and  that,  too,  while  the  threshing-machine  men  were 
yet  at  the  supper-table.     But '  many  willing  hands  made 
light  work,'  and  the  table  was  soon  cleared,  when  a 
short,  pointed,  and  fiery  camp-meeting  sermon  was  de- 
livered by  him  who  seemed  to  be  the  father  of  us  all 
(Father  Cox),   and   the   camp-meeting  was  discussed 
freely.     All  were  fully  ripe  for  the  meeting,  but  there 
was  only  one  tenter  to  be   found,  namely,  Dr.  Bryant, 
who  was  always  ready  to  stand  in  with  Church  enter- 
prises upon  all  occasions.     Too  much  cannot  be  said  to 
his  praise  in  the  organization  of  Southern  Methodism 
in  California.     But  the  matter  of  a  camp-meeting  at 
this  point  seemed  to  drag,  and  for  fear  it  would  be  a 
failure,  I  mustered  up  courage  sufficient  to  ask  if  they 
would  allow  an  outsider  to  take  stock  in  the  way  of 
supporting  the  meeting.     Of  course  they  were  glad  to 
get  such  help.     The  time  and  place  was  then  and  there 
fixed  for  the  meeting.     At  the  appointed  time  we  were 
all  upon  the  ground,  '  of  one  accord,'  when  the  pente- 
costal  shower  came  down.     Old  men  and  old  women, 
young  men  and  young  women,  and  children,  were  soon 
heard  crying  aloud  for  mercy.     Nor  did   they  cry  in 
vain.     I  was  near  by  when  R.  C.  Martin  started   for 
the  mourners'  bench,  and  I  saw  him  fall  full  length  in 
the  alta:*  before  getting  to  the  bench.     Soon  he  rose, 
shouting  aloud  the  praise  of  God,  when  he  delivered 
an  unbidden  exhortation,  which  produced  a  wonderful 
effect  upon  all  those  who  heard  him,  and  had   known 
his  manner  of  life  from  his  youth  up.     Last,  but  not 
least,  I,  too,  upon  that  occasion  was  brought  to  a  sav- 
ing knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.     A  love- 
feast,  near  the  close  of  the  meeting,  lasted  from  9  a.m. 
till  3  p.m.,  and   closed  unfinished.     It  was  during  this 
12 


178  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

meeting  that  I  purchased  and  read  the  first  Bible  that 
I  ever  owned." 

Those  who  composed  the  first  Quarterly  Conference 
of  this  circuit  were,  beside  the  preacher  in  charge:  Dr. 
B.  Bryant,  R.  B.  Harris,  Dr.  E.  G.  Cannon,  George 
Williams,  and  Thomas  Davis. 

Some  of  these  brethen  still  linger.  Among  them  is 
R.  B.  Harris.  He  has  ever  been  a  faithful  member  of 
our  Church. 

George  Williams  is  still  in  Watsonville.  He  was  a 
superior  man,  upright  in  all  his  dealings,  and  one  that 
would  come  as  near  answering  to  the  picture  drawn  by 
the  psalmist  in  the  fifteenth  Psalm  as  most  men.  He 
is  now  near  the  end  of  his  journey,  quietly  waiting  the 
will  of  the  Master. 

Thomas  Davis  died  several  yeais  ago,  full  of  faith 
and  of  years.  He  entered  the  Jordan  leaning  on  the 
arm  of  Him  whose  voice  has  power  to  divide  the 
waves.  He  was  followed  by  his  saintly  wife  some  two 
years  later.  They  were  both  perfectly  devoted  to  God 
and  his  Church.  Having  embraced  religion  in  early 
life  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  they  never  lost  their  bear- 
ings nor  changed  their  purpose.  In  sunshine  and  in 
storm  they  kept  on  their  way,  and  When  they  ap- 
proached the  eternal  shore,  immediately  in  before  them 
lay  the  long-sought  haven.  With  joy  they  let  go  the 
anchor,  landed  amid  the  shout  of  friends,  and  entered 
the  City  of  God.  Eternity  alone  will  reveal  the  value 
of  their  service  to  our  Church  on  this  coast. 

Of  Dr.  E.  G.  Cannon  we  will  have  occasion  to  speak 
elsewhere. 

Wherever  T.  T.  Cox  labored  revivals  crowned  his 
efforts,  and  the  Church  was  strengthened  and  built  up. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


*79 


He  preached  with  wonderful  power  and  pathos.  As 
an  exhorter  he  was  almost  without  a  rival.  When  fullv 
aroused,  at  times  his  exhortations  were  awful.  Amid 
some  of  his  perorations  you  could  almost  hear  the  thun- 
ders of  Sinai  and  feel  the  crack  of  doom.  The  heart 
that  could  resist  them  was  made  of  adamant. 

It  is  said  upon  one  occasion,  when  Bishop  Pierce  was 
on  this  coast,  that  he  was  to  preach  at  a  certain  place. 
He  did  so,  when  Father 'Cox  followed  with  one  of  his 
wonderful  exhortations.  A  man  who  was  a  stranger 
to  both  said,  soon  after  the  service  closed:  4kThat  little 
man  (the  Bishop)  that  preached  didn't  do  much;  but  I 
tell  you  when  that  big  old  fat  Bishop  got  up,  did  n't  he 
lay  it  off!"  When  the  anecdote  was  related  to  them, 
both  the  Bishop  and  the  exhorter  enjoyed  the  joke. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  faith,  while  he  planned  his 
meetings  with  consummate  skill.  Pie  had  a  keen  per- 
ception of  human  nature,  and  seemed  to  be  above  the 
sense  of  fear.  Upon  one  occasion,  while  in  the  midst 
of  a  glorious  camp-meeting,  he  was  told  that  a  ring- 
leader of  wickedness  intended  to  come  to  the  mourners' 
bench  that  night  for  sport.  The  old  man  kept  his  own 
counsel.  Sure  enough,  at  the  call,  this  man  marched 
up  among  the  penitents  and  kneeled  at  the  altar.  When 
Father  Cox  came  down  to  pray,  he  kneeled  by  the  side 
of  his  man  in  such  a  position  as  to  let  his  right  hand 
rest  upon  his  back.  As  he  waxed  warmer  in  prayer 
his  voice  swelled  louder  and  louder.  Soon  he  began 
to  pound  on  the  fellow's  back.  Heavier  and  heavier 
fell  the  blows  until  his  back  began  to  sway  under  the 
licks.  Higher  rose  the  old  man's  voice  and  heavier  fell 
the  blows.  At  last  the  fellow  began  to  crawl  on  his 
hands   and    knees.      Father   Cox  watched   as   well   as 


i8o  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

prayed.  He  too  began  to  walk  on  his  knees,  keep- 
ing well  up  with  him,  still  pounding  away,  until,  this 
mode  of  retreat  failing,  the  fellow  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  ran  past  his  tittering  companions,  who  had  come 
to  see  him  "  sell "  the  old  man. 

A  few  weeks  after  this,  as  Father  Cox  was  riding 
along  the  road  in  his  spring  wagon,  he  met  the  man, 
who  stopped  him,  and  said:  "Mr.  Cox,  I  haven't  got 
any  money  to  give  you;  but  if  you  will  go  home  with 
me,  I  will  give  you  a  wagon-load  of  nice  vegetables." 
The  old  man  went,  prayed  with  him,  talked  to  him,  and 
advised  him  to  give  his  heart  to  Christ.  During  the 
year  the  man  was  happily  converted  to  God. 

While  on  the  Gilroy  Circuit,  in  the  winter  of  1853-54, 
he  had  occasion  to  visit  San  Francisco  and  return.  The 
travel  then  was  by  steamer  to  Alviso,  and  thence  by 
stage  to  San  Jose  and  points  south.  A  portion  of  the 
road  between  Alviso  and  San  Jose  was  through  what 
is  known  as  "adobe,"  a  black,  sticky  soil,  that  in  the 
rainy  season  becomes  almost  impassable.  The  passen- 
gers had  frequently  to  walk,  and  sometimes  to  assist  in 
prizing  the  stage  out  of  the  mud.  Upon  this  occasion 
l)  Father  Cox  was  trudging  along  with  other  passengers, 
when  they  reached  a  terrible  mud-hole  that  spanned 
the  entire  road.  On  one  side  was  a  plank  fence.  To 
keep  out  of  the  worst  of  it,  he  essayed  to  walk  the  rails 
of  this  fence.  But  three  hundred  pounds  was  more 
than  that  fence  was  built  to  bear,  and  with  a  crash  the 
rail  broke  and  let  the  old  man  down  in  the  mud.  He 
waded  out  with  a  smile.  Just  then  the  owner  of  the 
fence,  who  had  witnessed  the  accident,  came  into  the 
road  in  a  rage.  He  commenced  swearing  at  the  old 
gentleman   furiously  for  breaking  his  fence.      Father 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  iSi 

Cox  apologized.  But  the  fellow  continued  his  abuse. 
For  a  time  he  bore  it  meekly;  but  as  the  impudent  fel- 
low, doubtless  encouraged  by  the  quiet  manner  in 
which  he  received  his  curses,  continued  his  abuse,  the 
old  man's  face  flushed,  his  eye  blazed  and  flashed,  and 
stepping  quickly  in  front  of  his  assailant,  he  seized  him 
by  his  chin-whiskers  and  shook  him  as  he  would  a 
school-boy.  One  shake  was  enough.  The  fellow 
waked  to  the  consciousness  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
cursed  the  wrong  passenger.  As  soon  as  he  could  get 
the  time  and  opportunity  to  speak,  he  said:  "I  beg  par- 
don. I  did  not  notice  your  gray  hairs.  I  see  you  are 
an  old  man."  He  held  on  to  him  long  enough  for  him 
to  realize  how  helpless  he  was.  The  preacher  then 
slowly  replied:  "Your  apology  is  accepted,  although  it 
is  evidently  caused  by  the  might  of  my  arm,  and  not  by 
my  gray  hairs." 

A  few  days  after  this,  at  a  quarterly  love-feast,  he 
confessed,  with  tears  of  penitence,  that  he  had  done 
wrong  in  letting  the  "Old  Adam"  get  the  advantage 
of  him. 

We  copy  an  article  from  the  Pacific  Methodist,  taken 
from  the  Nashville  Christian  Advocate,  that  will  give 
an  idea  of  Father  Cox's  methods  and  powTer: 

FATHER  COX. 

It  was  perhaps  about  the  year  185S  that  the  Rev.  B.  R.  John- 
son— "Uncle  Ben,"  as  we  called  him — was  holding  a  camp- 
meeting  in  Napa  Valley,  Cal.,  near  the  village  of  St.  Helena.  He 
was  assisted  by  the  Revs.  John  Miller  and  Y.  A.  Anderson,  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  ministers.  On  the  grounds  were  camped 
Methodists  (North  and  South),  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  and  oth- 
ers not  of  any  Church.  They  had  come  together  to  worship 
God  for  a  space  of  fifteen  dajrs. 

Miller  and   Anderson,  as   thev  were  home -folks,  told   Uncle 


1S2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Ben  to  call  another  preacher.  Uncle  Ben,  with  a  merry  twinkle 
in  his  eye,  said  he  would  send  for  Father  Cox,  of  Sonoma,  adding, 
"  He  is  no  little  man — can  preach  and  pray,  weep  and  shout,  and 
sing  all  day.  He  will  leave  us  preachers  hardly  a  thing  to  do." 
This  pleased  the  brethren,  and  two  days  afterward  Father  Cox 
drove  into  the  camp-ground — a  stranger.  He  wore  a  broad  hat, 
a  huge  linen  duster,  and  rode  in  a  buggy  as  wide  as  a  road-wagon. 
He  was  covered  with  dust;  but  his  long,  white  hair,  rosy  face,  and 
massive  body  attracted  general  attention  as  he  was  conducted  to 
Brother  Vann's  tent  for  refreshment.  Here  the  ministers  met 
him  and  placed  the  harness  of  a  leader  upon  him. 

Father  Cox  was  an  itinerant,  approachable  and  communica- 
tive. Before  an  hour  passed  he  took  his  staff  and  began  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  camp-ground.  As  he  came  to  our  tent  we  were  un- 
able to  restrain  a  curious  stare.  He  saw  this,  and  brought  his 
social  wit  to  bear  on  us:  "Haven't  been  drunk  for  a  long  time, 
brother;  glad  to  see  you  on  this  holy  ground;  you  campers  are 
here  in  the  right;  how  greatly  God  will  bless  this  meeting!"  He 
passed  on,  saluting  and  talking  with  young  and  old,  searching 
their  spiritual  state  and  presenting  the  riches  of  the  gospel  in  a 
warm,  social  way  that  won  all  hearts. 

That  night  when  Father  Cox  stood  up  to  preach  he  was  not  a 
stranger.  Perhaps  he  shot  some  arrows  at  a  venture,  but  it  was 
more  evident  that  he  drew  at  a  mark.  The  camp-ground  was 
shaded  by  young  oaks  and  wild  grape-vines.  A  spring  of  cold 
water  rose  in  a  bunch  of  willows  and  rippled  along  the  edge  of 
the  grove.  Bright  lamps  hung  on  the  trees,  and  all  the  place 
glowed  in  light,  relieved  by  the  green  pavilion  overhead.  The 
weather  was  just  such  as  California  alone  can  give — neither  too 
hot  nor  too  cool.  A  multitude  was  before  him.  The  old  fathers 
and  mothers  of  the  Church  were  there  in  full  force.  He  sang  a 
few  verses  alone;  his  voice,  flute-like  and  mellow  as  that  of  a 
dove,  filled  the  grove,  every  word  distinctly  uttered.  As  he 
prayed  the  great  congregation  became  more  and  more  responsive, 
and  men's  hearts  moved  toward  heaven  in  a  great  volume.  His 
theme  was  the  glory  of  the  cross.  He  carried  our  Saviour  from 
his  low  estate  to  the  realms  of  eternal  glory.  Now  he  utters  the 
apocalyptic  shout,  "  Halleluiah!     Salvation,  and  glory,  and  honor, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  183 

and  power,  unto  the  Lord  our  God!  "  A  like  response  rolls  back 
through  the  audience  and  returns  to  the  pulpit  again  in  loud 
aniens.  He  unveils  the  heavenly  courts — the  gates  ajar — he  looks 
in — all  look — then  hear  him,  as  one  almost  absent  from  the  flesh : 
"  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was  and  is  to 
come!"  The  fathers  took  up  this  sublime  refrain,  and  for  sev- 
eral moments  there  was  scriptural  shouting  at  least.  Souls  were 
converted  that  night  and  a  good  meeting  established. 

Father  Cox  wanted  the  services  of  the  next  day  to  begin  with 
an  experience-meeting — a  speaking  time — well,  a  sort  of  class- 
meeting.  But  as  the  congregation  was  a  mixed  one,  he  took 
counsel  of  Uncle  Ben,  who  said,  "Go  on;  do  that  very  thing; 
plenty  of  Cumberlands  here,  hard  to  beat  in  that  line;  the  Bap- 
tists will  talk,  and  our  Northern  brethren  will  come  in  like  a 
flood;  shove  the  chunks  together,  and  if  you  can't  stop  I  will  put 
my  hand  on  the  brakes."  Miller  and  Anderson  gave  hearty  as- 
sent, and  Uncle  Ben  called  the  ministers  into  his  "marquee"  and 
regaled  them  with  grapes  and  Bartlett  pears  while  they  laid  the 
plans  of  the  great  meeting. 

Uncle  Ben — God  bless  the  dear  old  father! — was  a  regular 
Naboth  for  vineyards  and  fruit-trees;  besides,  he  could  preach, 
the  editor  [Dr.  Fitzgerald]  knows  how  well. 

Earlier  than  usual  next  morning  some  hovering  angel  gathered 
up  and  rolled  away  the  fleecy  fog-cloud  that  spanned  the  valley 
from  mountain  to  mountain,  and  the  sun's  rays  came  streaming- 
down  the  stairways  of  blue  ether  without  stint  and  full  of  glory: 
By  8  o'clock  a  large  assemblage  was  at  the  stand.  Father  Cox 
opened  and  led  meeting.  What  an  experience!  Past  fifty  years 
of  age  when  won  to  Christ  by  his  pious  wife,  in  him  religion  had 
done  a  great  work.  Uncle  Ben  gave  an  account  of  the  great 
peace  he  had  toward  God,  reminding  one  of  the  holy  calm  that 
filled  the  soul  of  Bishop  Marvin  when  he  saw  the  sunlight  flash 
over  the  hazel  bushes  and  sumach  shrubs  verging  the  meadow 
where  he  was  converted.  Anderson  and  Miller,  holy  men  gone 
to  eternal  rest,  gave  ample  testimony.  Father  Vann,  old  and 
blind,  thrilled  all  with  the  glorious  things  he  saw.  Uncle  Char- 
ley Hopper,  an  old  hunter  whose  paths  Fremont  followed,  swept 
the  holy  land  in  happy  vision.     Father  Cox,  with  singular  versa-: 


184  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

tility  and  fitness,  responded,  sealing  words  to  every  speaker, 
swelling  the  interest  all  along. 

The  people  were  coming  in  from  all  parts  of  the  valley,  speak- 
ers and  hearers.  Father  Cox  walks  down  the  aisle — he  stands  in 
the  midst  of  a  thousand  people.  Mother  Davenport,  celebrated 
for  her  zeal  and  gifts,  was  speaking  at  the  far  end.  John  Miller 
wanted  to  preach,  and  Uncle  Ben  looked  grave  and  puzzled. 
Putting  on  the  "brakes"  was  impossible.  Just  now  a  new  phase 
springs  up;  sinners  arise  and  say,  "Pray  for  us."  Father  Cox 
calls  Miller  from  the  pulpit  to  his  side.  For  a  few  moments  the 
grand  old  man  broke  forth  in  one  of  the  most  searching  appeals 
— we  cannot  write  it — angels  did.  He  wept  like  Jeremiah  and 
pleaded  like  Paul.  More  than  twenty  years  have  passed  since 
that  memorable  day;  still  I  see  him,  and  hear  that  mellow  voice; 
its  undying  pathos  and  sweetness  swells  the  music  of  long  eter- 
nity. Miller  prays  and  the  people  sing;  the  whole  arbor  is  an 
altar.  Conversions  and  bright  faces  are  now  the  order  cf  the 
day. 

Noonday  comes,  and  the  cooks  have  spread  their  ample  tables. 
None  leave  the  bread  of  life  for  the  meat  that  perisheth.  Many 
remarkable  conversions  occur.  A  little  daughter  of  Anderson, 
far  down  the  aisle,  is  converted.  No  one  had  spoken  to  the  timid 
child.  Clapping  her  hands  and  praising  God,  she  starts  for  her 
father  at  the  pulpit.  Father  and  child  meet  by  the  side  of  Father 
Cox,  who,  spreading  wide  his  hands,  shouts,  "Out  of  the  mouths 
of  babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise!"  Mother  and 
grandparents  appear  on  the  scene.  Uncle  Ben  leans  over  the 
pulpit-board,  his  cheeks  wet  with  tears. 

The  great  work  takes  up  the  evening  until  near  4  o'clock.  The 
deep  shadows  of  the  coast-range  come  stealing  across  the  valley. 
The  day  and  the  meeting  must  close.  Uncle  Ben  calls  the  people 
in  a  loud  voice  and  dismisses  them  to  their  tents.  Father  Cox 
had  been  instant  in  season  for  nearly  eight  hours — a  prodigy  of 
zeal  and  eloquence.  Coming  in  at  the  eleventh  hour  and  dying 
before  very  old,  he  did  the  work  of  a  whole  life.  Deficient,  ac- 
cording to  the  strict  letter  of  technical  education,  still  he  was 
learned  in  theology,  men,  and  things.  He  had  a  marvelous  com- 
mand of  the  English  language,  and  never  failed  to  express  him- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  185 

self  in  a  manner  simple,  forcible,  and  felicitous.  He  swept  over 
California  like  a  heavy  rain  over  a  thirsty  land,  and  in  his  wake 
flourished  the  children  of  a  happy  immortality. — Pacific,  in  Nash- 
ville Advocate. 

His  last  appointment  was  to  the  city  of  Stockton. 
He  labored,  talked,  and  prayed  with  his  people  as  long 
as  he  was  able.  He  desired  to  preach  after  his  physi- 
cian told  him  that  he  must  desist.  He  asked  to  be  car- 
ried to  the  church  in  his  chair.  He  suffered  greatly 
in  his  last  days,  and  between  the  paroxysms  of  pain  he 
would  sing  the  songs  of  Zion,  and  would  cry  out,  "Re- 
ligion is  good!"  When  the  last  moment  came,  gather- 
ing all  his  wasting  strength  and  looking  up,  he  cried, 
"Eternal  life!"  and  California's  greatest  ecclesiastical 
captain  sheathed  his  sword  and  grasped  the  victor's 
palm.  He  died  at  Bodega,  in  Sonoma  County,  and 
his  remains  lie  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  yellow  ma- 
drona,  awaiting  the  call  of  Him  who  knows  the  resting- 
place  of  all  His  beloved. 

Robert  C.  Martin  was  also  admitted  on  trial  at  this 
Conference.  He  had  been  an  exceedingly  wild,  dissi- 
pated boy.  Caught,  just  as  he  was  budding  into  man- 
hood, by  the  wild  wave  of  excitement  that  bore  the  troop- 
ing thousands  to  our  shore,  he  gave  way  to  the  evil 
influences  brought  to  bear  upon  him,  and  his  friends  felt 
that  it  was  only  a  question  of  time  when  he  would  be 
an  utter  wreck.  But  at  a  camp-meeting  at  Gilroy  he 
was  happily  converted.  The  night  before  he  had  been 
at  the  gambling-table.  As  soon  as  converted  he  began 
exhorting  his  young  companions  to  turn  from  their  evil 
way  and  give  their  hearts  to  God.  He  was  soon  li- 
censed to  preach,  and  for  many  years  he  was  a  veiy 
consistent,   useful    man.      Revivals   blessed   his   labors, 


iS6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

while  he  was  untiring  in  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
his  Master.  He  went  among  the  first  of  our  preachers 
to  Oregon.  The  second  year  he  was  appointed  Presid- 
ing Elder  of  the  Jacksonville  District.  But  from  some 
cause  he  was  forced  to  locate,  and  in  laboring  to  sup- 
port his  family  he  took  a  contract  to  drive  a  stage.  His 
old  habit  came  back  on  him,  and  he  is  resting  under  a 
cloud. 

L.  C,  Adams  was  an  earnest,  faithful  preacher,  who 
did  us  good  work  for  nine  years,  one  year  being  Pre- 
siding Elder  on  Jacksonville  District,  Oregon.  In  1863 
he  was  located,  at  his  own  request. 

At  this  Conference,  Dr.  J.  Boring,  who  had  not  re- 
turned after  the  session  of  the  General  Conference, 
asked  for,  and  was  granted,  a  location. 

Up  to  this  time  we  had  suffered  greatly  the  need  of 
the  books  necessary  to  carry  on  and  make  permanent 
our  work.  Freight  and  postage  was  so  high,  and  so 
much  time  was  consumed  in  transportation,  that  we 
found  it  difficult  as  individuals  to  meet  the  growing 
demand.  At  this  Conference  plans  were  formed  to 
secure  a  depository 'of  books  from  our  House;  and  a 
supply  was  at  once  ordered.  This  depository  was  con- 
ducted in  San  Francisco,  under  the  auspices  of  our 
Conference,  for  a  number  of  years;  but  at  last  we  had 
to  give  it  up. 

The  Bascom  Institute,  so  auspiciously  commenced  in 
San  Jose,  began  to  give  us  trouble.  We  owned  two 
whole  blocks  of  very  valuable  lots,  then  in  the  suburbs, 
but  what  is  now  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  The 
preachers  had  their  hands  full,  and  the  trustees,  though 
worthy  men,  had  not  the  time  to  spare  from  their  own 
affairs    to  look   after  it,  and-  debts    accumulated.     Im- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  187 

provements  and  repairs  were  demanded,  and  now  a 
debt  that  we  were  unable  to  meet  lay  like  a  nightmare 
upon  the  breast  of  our  infant  academy.  Never  from 
this  time  till  the  time  when  the  whole  property  passed 
from  our  hands  was  the  institution  ever  free  from  debt. 
There  were  times  when  the  sky  would  brighten,  and 
preachers  and  people  would  give  freely  of  their  money, 
and  then  disaster  would  follow,  until  at  last  the  original 
donors  of  the  land  made  an  effort  to  recover  the  prop- 
ertv.  And  although  we  had  a  clear  title  to  it,  vet 
through  mismanagement  the  whole  reverted  to  the  orig- 
inal owner,  and  we  lost  property  that  to-day  would  be 
worth  thirty  or  forty  thousand  dollars. 

Our  membership  now  numbered  eight  hundred  and 
thirty-nine,  local  preachers  fourteen,  church  buildings 
sixteen,  and  parsonages  seven.  The  committee  ap- 
pointed on  the  state  of  the  work  summed  up  their  report 
in  the  following  language.  "We  are  prospering  as  a 
Church;  God  is  with  us;  our  motto  is  victory"  This 
year  we  stationed  more  than  thirty  preachers.  And  we 
went  forth  with  more  faith  and  hope  than  we  had  ever 
done  before.  Not  only  were  good  men  coming  to  us, 
but  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  was  replying  to  our  prayer 
for  laborers  by  raising  up  in  our  midst  those  converted 
to  God  through  our  instrumentality  to  preach  the  gospel 
with  us. 


i88  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  V. 

jjPJ'HE  fifth  session  of  the  Conference  was  held  in  the 
city  of  San  Francisco,  April  21-26,  1856.  At 
this  time  we  had  no  house  of  worship  in  the  city, 
and  the  Conference  met  in  a  temperance  hall,  which  we 
had  been  using  as  a  place  for  preaching  for  some  time. 
Bishop  Kavanaugh  was  to  have  been  with  us,  but  was 
delayed,  and  did  not  reach  California  until  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  Conference.  W.  R.  Gober  was  elected 
to  preside.  We  received  on  trial  J.  B.  Williams,  S.  D. 
Bunch,  H.  C.  Settle,  J.  S.  L.  Woods,  J.  G.  Johnson, 
David  Beauchamp,  and  E.  G.  Cannon.  Of  these  breth- 
ren, J.  B.  Williams,  S.  D.  Bunch,  and  D.  Beauchamp 
were  discontinued  at  their  own  request  after  the  expira- 
tion of  the  first  year.  D.  Beauchamp  during  the  year 
had  a  severe  spell  of  sickness  at  the  house  of  a  good 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  brother,  Brother  B.  F.  How- 
ell, who  nursed  him  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  father 
without  charge;  and  at  this  Conference  R.  W.  Bigham 
offered  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  the  Pacific  Conference  present  Brother  B.  F. 
Howell,  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  with  a  fine 
family  Bible,  as  a  token  of  our  appreciation  of  his  kindness  to  our 
young  brother,  David  Beauchamp,  during  a  severe  illness. 

Twenty  dollars  was  immediately  contributed  in  the 
Conference-room  for  the  purchase  of  the  Bible. 

Henry  C.  Settle  was  quite  a  young  man,  of  slender, 
delicate  build,  a  pleasing  manner  and  exceedingly  brill- 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  1S9 

iant  intellect.  He  was  a  hard  student  and  a  great 
reader.  He  advanced  at  once  to  the  front  rank,  and  soon 
filled  some  of  our  most  important  stations.  He  was, 
however,  greatly  afflicted,  and  at  times  was  subject  to 
paroxysms  that  would  for  brief  periods  dethrone  reason 
and  utterly  prostrate  him.  Notwithstanding  this,  he 
did  full  work  from  year  to  year  in  the  Conference,  till 
1859,  when  he  was  placed  on  the  superannuated  list,  and 
the  following  year  transferred  to  the  Louisville  Confer- 
ence. Here  in  his  old  home  he  has  been  fully  restored 
to  health,  and  stands  among  the  most  prominent  of  his 
Conference.  He  possessed  a  most  analytical  mind, 
combined  with  a  power  of  expression  that  was  wonder- 
ful. At  times  his  flights  of  oratory  were  sublime,  and 
at  the  same  time  they  were  not  aimless  flights,  merely 
intended  for  display,  but  there  was  always  some  object 
above  for  which  he  soared,  and  you  lost  sight  of  his 
masterly  flight  in  admiration  of  the  object  for  which  he 
rose.  It  was  with  the  deepest  regret  we  of  the  Pacific 
Conference  gave  him  up. 

J.  S.  L.  Woods  remained  with  us  for  a  few  years,  and 
then  engaged  in  secular  business,  to  the  neglect  of  his 
work,  and  he  was  located. 

J.  G.  Johnson  came  to  us  from  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  did  good, 
faithful  work  among  us;  but  his  heart  turned  back  to 
the  Church  of  his  early  choice,  and  after  location  he 
reunited  with  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  died  in  its  communion.  His  end  was  peaceful,  for 
he  was  a  good  man,  and  the  end  of  such  is  peace. 

E.  G.  Cannon  deserves  something  more  than  a  pass- 
ing notice.  As  before  stated,  he  assisted  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Santa  Cruz  and   San  Juan  Circuit.     He 


190  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

was  an  eccentric  man  in  some  things,  A  man  more 
devoted  to  the  Church  and  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer 
is  but  seldom  found.  His  zeal  for  the  salvation  of 
souls  was  consuming.  He  worked  constantly  for  a 
revival,  and  was  not  satisfied  if  souls  were  not  saved  at 
almost  every  service.  Frequently  he  would  announce 
at  the  opening  of  a  service  that  the  Lord  would  con- 
vert so  many  souls  that  night,  naming  the  number  as 
confidently  as  if  he  had  been  advised.  And  should  his 
prediction  be  realized,  or  should  it  fail,  was  all  one  to 
him.  It  was  hard  to  keep  him  within  bounds.  He 
claimed  to  act  under  the  direct  guidance  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  and  he  would  obey  nothing  else.  If  his  views 
came  in  conflict  with  the  Discipline,  or  with  the  orders 
of  a  superior  officer  in  the  Church,  he  followed  what 
he  claimed  to  be  the  direction  of  God. 

Upon  one  occasion  the  question  of  the  renewal  of 
his  license  came  up  before  the  Quarterly  Conference 
of  which  he  was  a  member".  The  majority  of  the 
brethren  were  opposed  to  the  renewal.  The  Rev. 
Charles  Campbell,  recognizing  his  usefulness,  pleaded 
for  him,  and  said  he  thought  if  some  one  would  talk  to 
the  brother  he  could  be  corrected  and  saved  to  the  min- 
istry. The  Conference  appointed  him  to  see  and  talk 
with  him.  He  took  him  out  and  in  a  very  kind  man- 
ner tried  to  show  him  his  errors;  told  him  that  the 
brethren  were  opposed  to  the  renewal  of  his  license — 
in  fact,  made  the  case  as  strong  as  he  well  could.  Can- 
non listened  to  him  very  quietly  and  patiently,  and  then 
coolly  said,  "I  must  follow  the  dictations  of  the  Spirit." 

When  Brother  Campbell  returned  to  the  Conference - 
room,  and  was  asked  how  he  succeeded,  he  said: 
"You'd  just  as  well  sing  psalms  to  a  dead  horse." 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


191 


He  served  out  his  probation  of  two  years  in  the  Con- 
ference, and  was  discontinued  at  his  own  request.  He 
was  employed  some  time  as  a  supply,  and  was  the  in- 
strument of  bringing  many  into  the  Church.  He  finally 
left  the  State  for  his  old  home,  and  has  been  lost  sio-ht  of. 

This  had  been  in  many  respects  a  prosperous  year. 
Revivals  of  religion  had  crowned  the  labors  of  many 
of  our  preachers,  and  when  the  statistics  of  the  Church 
were  called  for,  it  was  found  that  vve  had  one  thousand 
and  sixteen  members  and  probationers  on  our  Church- 
rolls,  a  net  increase  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
during  the  year.  We  now  reported  twenty-one  houses 
of  worship  in  our  possession.  Preachers  and  people- 
were  hopeful  all  over  the  Conference.  To  those  who 
knew  not  the  character  of  our  work  this  may  seem  as 
indeed  a  day  of  small  things.  But  the  difficulty  and 
importance  of  the  work  we  were  doing  can  never  be 
estimated  or  appreciated  by  those  not  engaged  in  it. 
No  other  denomination  in  the  State  was  doing  any 
more,  in  proportion  to  the  forces  engaged,  than  we. 
In  fact,  close  observation  has  settled  the  conviction  that 
God  has  honored  the  labors  of  our  Church  and  minis- 
try on  this  coast  with  as  many  genuine  revivals  of  re- 
ligion and  as  many  happy  conversions  as  any  other. 

We  labored  under  peculiar  difficulties.  Even  had 
not  the  grand  underlying  principles  of  our  Church  been 
non -political,  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  us 
would  have  driven  us  to  that  position.  We  were  just 
beginning  to  feel  the  pulsations  of  that  mighty  tide  of 
fanaticism  that  tossed  so  many  of  God's  ministers  upon 
its  bosom,  and  that  converted  many  of  the  services  of 
the  sanctuary  into  political  tirades,  by  which  men's 
passions  were  lashed  and  vexed  into  fury,  by  which 


192  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

the  prestige  of  preachers  was  prostituted  to  political 
purposes,  and  sectional  differences  were  widened  by 
men  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
whose  ringing  voice  had  proclaimed,  "My  kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world."  Our  Church  was  entering  upon  an 
ever-widening  field,  where  pure,  Christly  principle 
would  be  estimated  at  its  full  value.  The  very  name 
"South"  we  bore  made  people  demand  of  us  every- 
where why  we  bore  it,  and  what  was  the  difference 
between  us  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This 
gave  us  the  frequent  opportunity  of  declaring  our  prin- 
ciples, and  also  had  a  fine  reactionary  influence  on  us 
in  keeping  us  "rue  to  these  principles. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


93 


CHAPTER  VI. 

jlfHE  sixth  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  met 
in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  Nov.  5,  1856,  making 
two  sessions  in  the  same  year.  We  had  discov- 
ered by  experience  that  it  was  not  best  to  hold  our  ses- 
sions during  the  rainy  season.  It  was  a  very  difficult, 
and  often  impracticable,  matter  to  move  during  a  heavy 
winter.  Preachers  taking  possession  of  new  homes  at 
this  season  of  the  year  found  it  hard  to  get  supplies  of 
fuel  and  provisions,  and  hence  we  requested  the  Bishop 
to  appoint  the  time  of  holding  our  Conference  in  the 
fall  of  the  year. 

Bishop  Kavanaugh,  who  arrived  on  the  coast  soon 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  Conference  in  February, 
remained  during  the  year,  traveling  extensively,  preach- 
ing with  great  power  and  effect  all  through  the  bounds 
of  the  work.  This  first  protracted  visit  of  Bishop  Kav- 
anaugh, and  his  arduous  labors  on  this  coast,  bound 
him  to  us,  and  we  to  him,  in  bonds  so  endearing  that  we 
were  ever  prone  to  call  him  our  Bishop.  There  was 
no  circuit,  no  mining-camp  so  obscure,  if  occupied  by 
one  of  our  preachers,  that  he  was  not  willing  to  visit  it 
And  from  one  end  of  our  Conference  to  the  other  he 
stirred  saint  and  sinner  by  the  grandeur  of  his  elo- 
quence. He  did  not  save  himself  and  his  biggest  ser- 
mons for  the  great  cities  or  grand  occasions.  But 
sometimes  in  the  clapboard  shanty,  amid  the  seclusion 
of  a  mining-gulch,  the  "Old  Man  Eloquent"  poured 
*3 


io/|.  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

forth  such  strains  of  unbridled  oratory  as  would  have 
won  laurels  anywhere  on  earth. 

Once  at  a  rude  camp-ground,  as  he  was  indulging  in 
some  of  his  grandest  utterances-,  when  with  voice  and 
gesture  he  was  lifting  his  audience  to  untrodden  paths 
and  filling  their  souls  with  unutterable  emotions,  a  Dig- 
ger Indian,  sitting  by  the  root  of  a  tree,  watching  the 
speaker,  though  he  understood  not  a  word  he  uttered, 
but  thrilled  with  the  tones  of  his  voice,  and  pierced 
with  the  lightning  of  his  eye,  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
shouted,  "Heap  big  Capitan!"  After  familiarizing 
himself  with  the  peculiarities  of  the  work  in  which  we 
were  engaged,  and  learning  preachers  and  people  by 
actual  contact  and  labor  with  them,  he  was  well  pre- 
pared to  act  as  our  Presiding  Bishop. 

Jacob  Gruwell,  James  Kelsay,  Thomas  Brown,  and 
Horatio  N.  Compton  were  received  on  trial  at  this 
Conference. 

E.  B.  Lockley  and  L.  C.  Adams  were  re-admitted 
into  the  Conference. 

Jacob  Gruwell  was  born  July  16,  1807,  in  what  is 
now  Preble  County,  Ohio.  In  1S11  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  He 
was  raised  a  Baptist,  but  marrying  a  Methodist  girl,  he 
was  brought  into  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  was  licensed 
to  exhort  May  18,  1840,  and  to  preach  June  24,  1S43. 
He  came  to  California  on  the  great  wave  of  immigra- 
tion that  swept  over  the  plains  in  1849.  He  had  been 
vexed  and  tried  by  politico-preaching,  and  when  the 
opportunity  offered  of  becoming  a  member  of  our 
Church,  he  gladly  embraced  it  He  threw  himself  into 
the  work  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature.  His  first  ap- 
pointment was  as   junior    preacher    under  J.  L.    San- 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  195 

ders,  on  the  Gilroy  Circuit.     The  next  two  years   he 
was  on  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit.     The  first  year  he  re- 
ceived  fifty  members  at  a  single  protracted-meeting, 
and  built  the  church  at  Berryessa.     He  had  two  camp- 
meetings  the  next  year — mentioned  elsewhere:  at  one 
nearly  one  hundred,  and  at  the  other  seventy-five  mem- 
bers were  received  into  our  Church.     He  was  next  sent 
to   Eugene  City,  Oregon,  and  was   the  first    Southern 
Methodist  preacher  that  ever  preached  in  that  place. 
He  held   the  first   Southern    Methodist   camp-meeting 
that  year  that  was  ever  held  in  that  State.     It  contin- 
ued twelve  days.      He    had    no   ministerial  help.     He 
preached  three  times  a  day,  and   his  wife  helped  him 
with   the  altar  work.     Fifty  souls  were   converted   at 
this  meeting,  and  our  Church  well  established.      He  re- 
mained two  vears   in  Oregon.     In   the  fall   of  1S60,  at 
the  close  of  his  first  year  in  Oregon,  he  rode  450  miles 
alone  on  horseback  to  meet  the 'Conference  in  Sacra- 
mento.    On  his  way  he  fell  in  one  night  with  a  band 
of  200  Pitt  River   Indians,  who  were  camped   on  the 
Sacramento   River.     He  slept  on   the  ground   by  the 
side  of  their  camp-fire,  with   his   saddle   for  a  pillow. 
His  supper  and    breakfast   was    broiled  fish,  with   no 
bread.     His  second  year  in  Oregon  he  was  Presiding 
Elder   of  the  Jacksonville    District.     During   his   two 
years'  labor  in  Oregon  he  took  into   the  Church  about 
350  members,  three  of  whom  afterward  became  preach- 
ers.    On  his  return  to  California  he  filled  several  im- 
portant positions,  among  them  the  Presiding  Eldership 
of  the  Marysville  District.     He  has  been  a  man  of  re- 
markable physical  vigor,  but  for  a  number  of  years  he 
has  been  upon  the  superannuated  list.     He  has  passed 
the   allotted   time   of  man    upon   earth,   and    has   gone 


196  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

down  among  the  orange  groves  of  Los  Angeles  to 
wait  the  call  of  his  Master,  who  counted  him  worthy, 
putting  him  into  the  ministry. 

James  Kelsay  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ky.,  May 
19,  1826.  He  was  converted  in  his  twentieth  year,  and 
soon  after  felt  a  call  to  the  ministry,  but  told  no  one  of 
his  impressions.  When  his  mother,  who  thought  that 
maybe  God  had  use  for  him  in  his  vineyard,  suggested 
it  to  him,  he  evaded  the  matter,  and,  as  he  says,  thus 
for  the  first  time  since  his  conversion  grieved  the  Spir- 
it. He  came  to  California  in  1849  ^y  the  Lassen  route, 
consuming  six  months  in  the  trip.  With  others  he  was 
attacked  with  cholera  on  the  plains.  For  several  years 
he  was  engaged  in  mining  in  El  Dorado  County. 
While  living  at  Gold  Hill,  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Stewart,  who 
was  on  that  circuit,  became  acquainted  with  him. 
Brother  Kelsay  was  acting  as  sexton  of  the  church  at 
the  time.  One  night,  after  all  the  congregation  had  re- 
tired, Brother  Stewart  asked-  Brother  Kelsay  if  he 
never  felt  it  his  duty  to  preach.  The  question  startled 
him,  for  he  never  dreamed  that  a  soul  on  the  Coast 
knew  of  his  call  to  the  ministry.  He  acknowledged 
that  he  had.  Brother  Stewart  then  appointed  him 
class-leader  at  a  little  mining-camp,  not  far  off,  called 
Missouri  Flat.  He  told  him  that  he  would  preach  at 
this  place  the  following  Sabbath,  and  that  he  would  ar- 
range an  appointment  for  him  the  succeeding  Sunday. 
When  the  day  came,  he  made  his  arrangements  to  go 
over  and  lead  his  class.  As  he  could  not  sing,  he  in- 
vited a  Brother  William  Berry  to  go  with  him.  When 
they  reached  the  place,  Brother  Kelsay  went  to  the  ho- 
tel, and  finding  the  landlady,  asked  her  if  she  knew  of 
any  Methodists  in  town. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


*97 


"Methodists!  "  said  she.  "There  is  but  one  Meth- 
odist here,  and  he  is  an  old  backslider." 

Brother  Kelsay,  who  was  unknown  to  the  woman 
told  her  that  he  had  come  over  to  lead  a  class. 

"Well,"  said  she,  "there  is  no  class  to  lead.  But 
Mr.  Stewart  preached  here  last  Sunday,  and  he  left 
an  appointment  for  a  Mr.  Kelsay  to  preach  here  to- 
day." 

This  fell  like  a  clap  of  thunder  on  the  young  miner. 
He  was  not  a  preacher,  and  had  never  attempted  such 
a  thing  in  his  life.  He  asked  for  a  Bible,  and  started 
for  the  woods.  Bill  Berry,  as  he  was  familiarly  called, 
followed  him,  laughing.  Kelsay  turned  and  said,  "  Bill, 
go  back,  or  I'll  take  a  club  to  you." 

Bill  said  he  was  not  laughing  at  him.  "  But,"  said 
he,  "  I've  known  it  was  your  duty  to  preach,  and  I'm 
laughing  how  nicely  Stewart  has  caught  you.  No, 
Jim,  I'm  going  along  to  help  you  pray." 

They  went  to  the  woods,  and  after  earnest,  secret 
prayer,  Kelsay  opened  the  Bible  to  hunt  for  his  first 
text.  After  a  time  they  returned  to  find  quite  a  con- 
gregation assembled.  Brother  Kelsay  commenced  by 
reading  the  hymn,  "Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross."  This 
done,  he  lined  the  first  couplet,  when  Bill  Berry  com- 
menced to  sing.  He  missed  the  tune,  but  sung  on. 
He  had  no  better  success  with  the  next  two  lines. 
Sometimes  he  would  hit  the  tune,  and  then  he  would 
lose  it  again.  The  very  fact  that  he  was  off  the  tune 
seemed  to  stir  his  energies  the  more,  and  his  voice 
struck  in  every  direction.  The  miners  began  to  titter, 
and  Brother  Kelsay,  seeing  there  would  be  a  break- 
down, closed  his  hymn-book  and  called  to  prayer. 
His  effort  at  preaching  was  a   little    more   successful. 


19$  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

He  warmed  up  with  his  subject,  and  delivered  quite  a 
passable  discourse. 

As  they  were  returning  home  that  afternoon,  when 
about  half  a  mile  on  their  way,  Berry  stopped  in  the 
trail,  and  turning  upon  Kelsay,  said:  "I  don't  like  the 
way  you  treated  me  to-day.  You  brought  me  over 
here  to  sing  for  you,  and  you  shut  down  on  me  before 
I  had  sung  two  verses." 

"Well,  you  didn't  have  the  tune,  and  everybody  be- 
gan to  laugh,  and  I  saw  that  you'd  ruin  every  thing." 

"  But  you  ought  to  let  me  sing  it  all.  I'd  a-got  the 
tune  before  I  got  through  with  it.  Next  time  I  want 
you  to  give  me  a  fair  chance." 

His  services  as  a  preacher  soon  were  in  demand.  He 
would  toil  all  the  week  in  the  mines,  and  go  out  on  foot 
to  the  surrounding  towns  and  preach  experimental  re- 
ligion to  the  miners. 

The  Rev.  J.  E.  Barnes,  a  Baptist  minister,  started  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry  about  the  same  time,  and  as 
they  were  close  neighbors,  and  felt  a  mutual  sympathy 
for  each  other,  they  frequently  held  meeting  in  con- 
junction. On  one  Sabbath  one  would  preach  and  the 
other  exhort,  and  on  the  next  they  would  reverse  the 
order.  Mr.  Barnes  relates  an  incident  in  connection 
with  one  of  their  meetings  that  will  illustrate  the  work 
these  young  men  had  to  do.  It  was  Kelsay's  time  to 
preach.  The  appointment  was  in  a  large  room  in  a 
hotel.  The  door  of  the  room  opened  immediately  upon 
the  street.  It  was  pouring  down  rain.  Kelsay  was 
struggling  with  his  text,  when  the  door  was  pushed 
open,  and  a  large,  drunken  man  staggered  in.'  He 
looked  round  at  the  preacher  and  congregation  for 
awhile,  and  then  pulled  off  his  dripping  hat,  and,  doub- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  199 

ling  it  up  in  his  hand,  dashed  it  upon  the  floor  and  sat 
down,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  the  preacher.  After  sitting 
awhile,  he  doubled  his  great  fist  and  commenced  slowly 
and  deliberately  to  draw  back  as  if  getting  readv  to 
strike.  All  eyes  were  upon  him.  A  lot  of  young  men 
sat  near  the  speaker,  watching  the  man's  movements. 
At  length,  with  a  voice  that  rivaled  the  roar  of  a  lion, 
he  shouted,  "Dry  up!"  and  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  was 
seemingly  about  to  strike  the  preacher  full  in  the  face, 
when  the  young  men  leaped  forward,  caught,  and  over- 
powered him,  and  soon  put  him  out  of  the  house. 

The  incident  so  confused  the  young  preacher  that  he 
could  say  but  little  more  to  edification,  and  he  closed 
the  service. 

Brother  Kelsay  has  been  one  of  our  most  faithful 
workers.  When  the  call  was  made  for  preachers  to  go 
to  Oregon  he  went  among  the  first,  and  did  good  and 
faithful  work  there.  There  is  a  rich  vein  of  humor 
running  through  his  nature  that  gives  him  a  strong  lev- 
erage with  many.  But  few  of  the  preachers  are  more 
beloved  by  his  brethren.  He  is  looked  upon  as  a  sort 
of  privileged  character.  Upon  a  certain  occasion,  while 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  Colusa  District,  his  District  Con- 
ference was  in  session.  Bishop  Hargrove  was  present, 
and  presided.  One  morning  the  Bishop,  having  some 
business  upon  the  outside,  called  Brother  Kelsay  to  the 
chair.  Brother  M.  V.  Howard  was  to  deliver  an  ad- 
dress some  time  during  the  Conference,  and  a  motion 
was  made  that  he  now  be  requested  to  perform  that 
duty.  "All  right,"  said  Brother  Kelsay;  "  come  up  here, 
Brother  Howard."  He  was  just  being  introduced, 
when  the  mover  of  the  question  arose  and  suggested 
that  it  had  not  been   put  to  the  house.     "Never  mind,'' 


200  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

said  Brother  Kelsay,  holding  to  the  arm  of  Brother 
Howard,  "  I  just  wanted  you  to  see  the  speaker  before 
you  voted  to  hear  him,  so  that  you  could  vote  intelli- 
gently."    It  was  done  as  Kelsay  only  could  do  it. 

Some  of  the  scenes  through  which  he  and  others 
passed  in  Oregon  in  planting  our  Church  in  that  State 
were  of  the  most  thrilling  character,  and  required  cour- 
age of  the  highest  order  to  carry  through.  The  most 
successful  movements  made  were  in  holding  a  series  of 
camp-meetings  through  the  State.  At  Brownsville,  as 
recorded  elsewhere,  the  most  intense  excitement  pre- 
vailed. Extensive  preparations  were  made  to  break  up 
the  meeting,  if  possible.  Unknown  to  the  preachers, 
many  of  the  outside  friends  had  armed  themselves,  and 
were  on  the  ground  ready  to  resist  unto  blood  any  effort 
upon  the  part  of  a  mob.  Once,  when  the  mob  began 
an  advance  upon  the  altar,  several  sprang  forward,  re- 
volvers in  hand,  and  warned  them  back.  It  was  then 
that  the  grandeur  of  the  Rev.  O.  Fisher's  character 
loomed  up.  When  quiet  had  been  partially  restored,  he 
arose  and  commenced  his  sermon  with  all  the  coolness 
of  a  veteran.  As  he  progressed,  his  voice  rose,  and 
burst  after  burst  of  eloquence  broke  from  his  lips,  until 
it  seemed  that  a  very  halo  shone  round  his  beaming 
face.  Pausing  in  the  midst  of  his  sermon,  and  lifting 
his  eyes  to  heaven,  he  shouted,  u  Halleluiah!"  Again 
he  repeated  it.  The  effect  was  magical;  every  heart 
thrilled  under  the  stirring  shout.  Then  stretching  his 
hand  over  the  congregation,  he  said:  "  They  call  me  'The 
Old  Grizzly,'  'The  Old  Secesh,'  and  'The  Old  Devil,' 
and  say  that  I  ought  to  be  killed.  Thank  God,  the  of- 
fering is  ready!  Hang  me  if  you  want  to.  You  can't 
tie  this  soul  of  mine.     Burn  me  if  it  is  your  wish;  there 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  201 

is  no  fire  that  can  scorch  my  soul!"  Just -then  one  of 
the  leaders  rose,  and  said:  "  Is  that  the  way  you  preach? 
If  so,  they  have  lied  to  me,"  and  with  that  he  came  for- 
ward and  handed  him  some  money,  saying,  "  Go  on." 

This  was  on  the  Sabbath.  Up  to  this  time  there  had 
been  no  conversions,  but  the  religious  interest  was 
deepening.  On  Monday  it  rained.  The  congregation 
assembled  under  a  large  fir  -  tree.  Brother  Fisher 
again  preached.  The  crowd  gathered  close  about  the 
preacher.  Soon  it  commenced  hailing.  Sister  Michael 
came  forward  to  the  little  table  upon  which  the  Bible 
lay,  and  saved  it  from  being  ruined  by  the  rain.  A  call 
was  made  for  mourners,  and  six  gathered  about  the 
little  table,  and  before  the  service  closed  two  of  them 
were  happily  converted.  Before  the  meeting  closed, 
sixteen  more  were  added  to  the  number  of  conversions. 
The  power  of  the  opposition  seemed  to  be  broken  at 
this  meeting.     This  was  in  May. 

In  June  they  held  a  camp-meeting  on  the  Salem  Cir- 
cuit As  the  preachers  went  to  this  meeting,  in  pass- 
ing a  school-house  near  the  camp-ground,  they  saw  an 
effigy  of  the  Rev.  C.  H.  E.  Newton  hanging  to  the 
turning-bar.  It  was  dressed  in  old,  patched  clothes, 
with  a  cow's  tail  to  represent  the  old  man's  whiskers. 

On  Sunday  morning  R.  C.  Martin  was  to  preach  at 
10,  and  O.  Fisher  at  11  o'clock;  I.  L.  Hopkins  at  3, 
and  J.  Kelsay  at  7  p.m.  Martin's  theme  was  the  Judg- 
ment; Kelsay  was  to  conclude  for  him.  Just  as  he  rose 
a  party  with  a  flag  came  on  to  the  camp-ground,  and 
marched  half  way  up  the  aisle  and  stopped.  Kelsay, 
nothing  daunted,  proceeded  with  his  exhortation.  He 
drew  a  picture  accompanying  the  final  scene  on  earth: 
"Everywhere  men,  unheeding  the  day  of  doom,  would 


202  History  of  Southern   Methodism 

be  plunged  -in  all  the  business  of  life.  Plains  would 
be  trembling  under  the  rude  shock  of  war.  Men 
would  be  busy  killing  each  other  as  they  gave  loose 
rein  to  their  vile  passions.  Banners  would  be  waving, 
martial  music  sounding,  when  all  at  once  the  awful 
trumpet's  sound  would  be  heard  echoing  over  the  plains 
and  mountains  of  earth."  The  scene  was  indescriba- 
ble. Had  the  archangel's  trump  really  sounded,  the 
feelings  excited  could  not  have  been  much  more  in- 
tense.  Mourners  were  called  for,  and  they  crowded 
the  altar,  and  many  were  converted.  Continued  rains 
caused  them  to  close  this  meeting  after  only  a  few  days. 

At  Independence  they  held  another  successful  meet- 
ing, at  which  over  30  souls  were  converted. 

The  last  of  this  series  of  camp-meetings  was  held  on 
the  Coast  Fork  of  the  Willamette  River.  This  was  the 
most  wonderful  meeting  of  all.  On  the  first  night 
there  were  nine  penitents  at  the  altar.  The  power  of 
God  was  displayed  in  a  most  remarkable  manner. 
Numbers  of  the  men  who  came  to  "flag"  the  camp- 
ground were  overwhelmed  by  the  blessed  influence, 
and  were  converted  to  God.  There  were  over  one 
hundred  souls  converted  at  this  meeting,  and  the  power 
of  the  opposition  was  completely  broken. 

At  Lacall  Creek  Kelsay  was  holding  a  meeting,  as- 
sisted by  C.  H.  E.  Newton  and  others.  On  Sunday 
night  Kelsay  had  preached  and  made  a  call  for  mourn- 
ers. None  came.  Appeal  after  appeal  was  made  with- 
out effect,  when  Newton  was  seen  coming  out  of  the 
preachers'  tent.  A  peculiar  flash  and  fire  of  his  eye 
told  that  he  was  excited.  Kelsay  asked  him  if  he  want- 
ed to  say  any  thing.  "I  never  wanted  to  exhort  as 
much  in  my  life,"  was  the  reply.     And   mounting  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


203 


stand,  he  began  an  exhortation  on  astronomy.  He 
pointed  to  the  starry  heavens  above — talked  of  the  plan- 
ets, one  by  one,  as  familiarly  as  an  astronomer.  He 
moved  out  from  the  solar  system  and  spoke  of  other 
suns  and  other  systems.  On  and  on  he  moved,  seem- 
ingly perfectly  at  home  wherever  he  turned  his  eye  or 
thought.  "These,"  said  he,  "are  all  moving  in  God's 
power.  He  controls  them  all,  and  it  is  against  this 
mighty  God  you  are  lifting  the  puny  arm  of  your  re- 
bellion. This  power  is  now  exerted  in  love — love  to  a 
lost  world  of  sinners;  but  the  day  will  come  when  that 
power  will  hurl  you  into  hell  so  deep  that  no  ray  of 
light  will  ever  find  you."  His  long,  bony  arms  were 
lifted,  his  streaming  beard  and  hair  swayed  in  the  in- 
tensity of  his  emotion,  his  eyes  blazed  as  if  kindled 
with  the  fires  of  frenzy.  Women  screamed,  men 
groaned,  some  few  shouted,  and  when  the  excitement 
of  fear  was  at  its  height  he  turned  the  whole  thought 
to  the  mercy  and  goodness  of  God  as  exercised  to  save 
sinners.  No  invitation  was  needed.  The  altar  was 
crowded  with  penitents,  and  the  work  went  on  till  late 
in  the  night. 

In  the  midst  of  one  of  their  series  of  meetings  Bish- 
op Kavanaugh,  it  is  said,  preached  one  of  the  grandest 
sermons  of  his  eventful  life.  His  theme  was  "The 
Lost  Sheep."  His  representation  of  the  Saviour  out 
in  the  mountains  in  search  of  the  lost  sheep  can  never 
be  reproduced.  The  joy  portrayed  on  bringing  him 
back  overwhelmed  his  entire  congregation,  and  the 
speaker's  voice  was  drowned  in  the  exultant  shouts  of 
the  excited  multitude. 

Oregon  Methodism  owes  much  to  the  labors  of 
James  Kelsay.    But  California  was  his  home,  and  after 


204  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

a  few  years  spent  there  he  returned  to  his  native  Con- 
ference. He  is  still  going  in  and  out  with  us,  with  no 
seeming  diminution  of  strength,  though  his  locks  are 
whitening  under  the  weight  of  nearly  a  score  and  ten 
years'  work  for  the  Master. 

Thomas  Brown,  after  laboring  one  year,  was  discon- 
tinued, at  his  own  request. 

H.  N.  Compton  continued  in  the  traveling  connec- 
tion for  a  number  of  years,  and  then  located.  He  was 
useful  in  the  first  part  of  his  ministry,,  but  is  not  now 
connected  with  the  Church. 

It  was  at  this  Conference  that  the  only  formal  effort 
for  a  union  of  the  two  Methodist  Churches  in  Califor- 
nia was  ever  made.  The  initial  step  was  taken  by  the 
California  Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church  (North). 
There  had  been  some  talk — as  we  both  were  so  far  re- 
moved from  the  parent  Churches  in  the  East — of  the 
formation  of  an  independent  Methodist  Church  in  the 
West.  We  say  there  had  been  some  talk  of  this  mat- 
ter— whether  it  was  ever  seriously  contemplated  or  de- 
signed by  any  considerable  number  of  either  Church 
we  are  not  advised.  At  the  session  of  the  California 
Conference  a  committee  of  three  of  their  ablest  men, 
consisting  of  E.  Thomas,  J.  D.  Blain,  and  S.  S.  Phil- 
lips, were  sent  as  a  delegation  to  our  Conference  with 
the  expectation  that  we  would  appoint  a  like  commit- 
tee to  meet  with  them,  and  thus  "secure  a  closer  union 
of  the  two  branches  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Cali- 
fornia." Accordingly,  on  the  second  day  of  the  ses- 
sion this  committee  presented  itself  at  the  bar  of  our 
Conference,  and  announced  that  "  they  were  present, 
and  ready  to  meet  a  similar  committee  from  the  Pacific 
Conference,  should  we  see  fit  to  appoint  one." 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  205 

A.  M.  Bailey  introduced  a  resolution  to  the  effect 
"  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  by  the  Chair 
to  confer  with  the  committee  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church." 

W.  R.  Gober,  M.  Evans,  and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  were 
appointed. 

These  committees  met  at  the  M.  E.  Church,  in  Sac- 
ramento city,  at  2  p.m.  of  the  same  day,  and  after  an 
organization  and  a  free  interchange  of  opinions  by  each 
member  of  the  committee,  they  adjourned  to  meet  at  6 
o'clock  that  evening. 

After  earnest  prayer,  and  an  interchange  of  brotherly 
love,  the  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  California 
Conference  made  the  following  proposition:  "That 
the  California  Conference  will  at  its  next  session  re- 
ceive and  recognize  such  members  of  the  Pacific  Con- 
ference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  as 
may  offer  themselves  for  membership  in  the  California 
Conference,  in  the  same  grade  and  standing  as  they 
hold  in  the  Pacific  Conference,  taking  the  Minutes  of 
the  said  Pacific  Conference  as  conclusive  of  standing, 
passing  by  single  resolution  upon  all  applications  on 
the  first  day  of  the  session."  Which  proposition  was 
declined,  severally  and  jointly,  by  the  committee  of  the 
Pacific  Conference. 

This  was  simply  a  proposition  to  swallow  us  whole, 
or  at  least  as  many  of  us  as  were  willing  to  be  swal- 
lowed.    The  report  of  this  meeting  farther  tells  us: 

After  considerable  discussion,  Brother  Gober  suggested  two 
schemes  as  having  been  talked  of  in  connection  with  Church 
union.  First,  that  each  of  our  Annual  Conferences  should  me- 
morialize its  respective  General  Conference  to  re-establish  the 
line  of  separation;  and,  second,  that  of  a  separate  and  independ- 
ent organization  in  California. 


206  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

The  second  was  declined  as  wholly  impracticable. 
The  first,  it  was  thought,  was  not  likely  to  accomplish 
any  thing,  and  was  therefore  dropped. 

After  this  a  free  consideration  of  many  suggestions  was  had, 
but  no  conclusions  reached  promissory  of  effecting  a  union. 

i.  It  was  proposed  by  the  committee  of  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence to  secure  Conference  action  of  the  two  Conferences  looking 
to  the  cultivation  of  more  friendly  relations  between  the  two 
Churches.  To  this  the  response  was  made  on  the  part  of  the 
other  committee:  "  We  could  not  bind  our  Conferences,  not  hav- 
ing been  delegated  to  do  such  work." 

There  did  not  appear  upon  the  surface  any  disposi- 
tion upon  the  part  of  this  committee  to  make  any  con- 
cessions whatever,  nor  did  they  seem  disposed  to  even 
lay  the  matter  before  the  members  of  their  Conference. 

2.  It  was  suggested  upon  the  part  of  our  committee,  that  as 
nearly  all  the  Presiding  Elders  of  the  California  Conference  and 
all  the  Presiding  Elders  of  the  Pacific  Conference  were  at  the 
time  present  in  Sacramento,  they-  should  join  in  an  appeal  to  the 
preachers  and  congregations  to  the  same  effect.  This,  too,  was 
declined  for  the  same  reason  as  given  before. 

3.  It  was  then  proposed  by  the  committee  of  our  Conference 
that  the  Joint  Committee  then  in  session  unite  in  an  address  to 
preachers  and  people  for  the  attainment  of  this  object.  This, 
too,  was  respectfully  but  peremptorily  declined. 

These  committees,  after  this,  had  one  more  meeting, 
and  after  prayer  offered  by  each  member  of  the  Joint 
Committee,  and  some  exchange  of  fraternal  feeling, 
they  adjourned  sine  die. 

It  would  seem  from  this  that  the  only  purpose  of  the 
California  Conference  was  to  absorb  our  Conference, 
for  this  committee  would  entertain  no  proposition  of 
mutual  concession.  While,  upon  the  other  hand,  the 
committee  of  our  Conference  gave  them  clearly  to  tin* 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  207 

derstand  that,  in  the  first  place,  they  had  no  power  or 
authority  to  accept  the  only  proposition  they  made; 
and,  secondly,  that  our  people  had  no  thought  of  any 
such  transfer. 

While  we  were  willing  to  entertain  and  discuss  any 
proposition  looking  to  mere  fraternity,  and  even  union 
upon  a  proper  basis — a  basis  whereby  the  cause  of 
Christ  could  be  subserved  and  furthered — yet  we  had 
never,  by  act  or  word,  given  an  intimation  that  we 
desired  to  abandon  our  organization  on  this  coast,  by 
either  quitting  the  field  or  uniting  in  a  body  with  the 
M.  E.  Church  (North). 

A  committee,  consisting  of  O.  Fisher,  W.  R.  Gober, 
and  M.  Evans,  was  appointed  to  "  define  our  position 
as  a  Church  in  California,"  which  they  did  in  a  most 
able  and  scriptural  report,  in  which,  among  other 
things,  they  said:  "With  these  principles — that  of 
preaching  the  pure  gospel  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  to 
men,  irrespective  of  their  political  predilections  or 
views — we  claim  the  right  to  go  into  all  the  world,  a.nd 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  We  interfere 
with  no  civil  government,  we  invade  the  right  of  none. 
Our  banner  is  the  banner  of  peace — the  pure,  glorious, 
everlasting  gospel,  untrammeled  by  political  creeds  or 
questions  of  State.  Whenever  our  brethren  of  the 
North  shall  be  disposed  to  unite  with  us  upon  this 
spotless  and  glorious  platform,  we  shall  be  most  happy 
to  greet  them  with  the  right  hand  of  fellowship ." 

This  episode  in  our  history  revealed  the  fact  that 
there  was  a  necessity  for  our  organization  on  this  Coast, 
and  that  we  were  doing  a  work  that  no  others  could 
or  would  do  for  us. 

God  had  set  to  the  seal  of  his  approbation  by  bless- 


2o8  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ino-  the  labors  of  our  Church  and  ministry  in  the  con- 
version  of  many  souls,  and  by  opening  doors  of  use- 
fulness to  us.  And  we  would  have  been  recreant  to 
our  duty  had  we  not  gone  forward. 

Bishop  Kavanaugh's  presence  and  counsel  were  a 
great  blessing  to  us  at  this  session.  The  preaching  at 
the  religious  services  was  very  spiritual. 

On  one  evening  O.  Fisher  preached  one  of  his  most 
scriptural  sermons.  His  face  seemed  to  fairly  shine  un- 
der the  power  of  the  Spirit  that  fired  his  heart  and 
tongue.  His  clear,  ringing  voice,  like  the  notes  of  a  silver 
trumpet,  echoed  and  reverberated  through  the  church, 
thrilling  our  hearts.  As  he  went  on  expounding  and 
applying  the  Scriptures^  E.  B.  Lockley  leaned  forward 
and  whispered  to  a  brother,  "  Brother  John,  that  man 
ought  never  to  die." 

At  the  Missionary  Anniversary,  Bishop  Kavanaugh 
made  an  address,  in  which  he  indulged  in  a  number  of 
amusing  anecdotes,  at  which  the  hyper-sensitive  con- 
science of  J.  M.  Fulton  was  greatly  shocked.  He  leaned 
forward  on  the  pew  and  groaned  and  prayed  earnest- 
ly. The  next  day,  as  the  Bishop  was  holding  a  meeting 
with  the  Mission  Committee,  making  appropriations, 
a  messenger  came  to  the  room  and  announced  to  the 
Bishop  that  a  gentleman  wanted  to  see  him.  On  the 
Bishop's  return  to  the  room,  a  smile  lighted  up  his  face 
as  he  said,  "  It  was  Brother  Fulton,  come  to  take  me  to 
task  for  my  speech  last  night.  I  told  him  I  was  too 
busy  to  listen  to  his  reproof,  but  thanked  him  for  his 
solicitude." 

On  the  last  day  of  this  session  of  our  Conference,  an 
old  Negro  man — Micajah  Keelin — appeared  in  the  Con- 
ference-room, and  Brother  B.  H.  Russell,  in  his  behalf, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  209 

presented  a  paper  "  asking  for  aid  to  purchase  his  four 
children,  now  slaves  in  Alabama."  The  honest  ap- 
pearance of  the  old  man  appealed  to  every  heart,  and 
although  we  had  been  giving  to  every  thing  as  usual  at  a 
session  of  an  Annual  Conference,  and  were  well-nieh 
exhausted  financially,  yet  when  Brothers  A.  M.  Bailev 
and  J.  Gruwell  went  round  with  their  hats,  they  col- 
lected the  sum  of  $50.  This  was  our  last  act  before 
receiving  our  appointments  for  the  year. 

The  membership  of  the  Church  had  increased  to 
1,202.  There  were  reported  19  Sunday-schools,  with 
106  officers  and  teachers,  509  scholars,  2,631  volumes 
in  library,  and  $753.50  collected  and  expended  for  Sun- 
day-school purposes.  No  record  of  the  number  of 
churches  and  parsonages  is  found  of  this  year.  Thir- 
ty-three preachers  belonging  to  the  Conference  were 
stationed,  beside  several  supplies. 
H 


2io  History  of  Southern*  Methodism 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ifHE  seventh  session  of  the  Conference  was  held 
in  the  city  of  San  Jose,  Nov.  4-10,  1857.  No 
Bishop  being  present,  R.  W.  Bigham  was  elect- 
ed President  of  the  Conference. 

Samuel  Brown,  Martin  F.  Jones,  Drury  K.  Bond, 
Isaiah  L.  Hopkins,  and  Ira  Taylor  were  admitted  on 
trial,  and  C.  Gridley  and  Moses  Clampit  were  re-ad- 
mitted. 

Samuel  Brown  was  born  in  Clay  County,  Mo.,  June 
c;,  1827;  came  to  California  in  1849  in  search  of  gold, 
but  was  converted  at  the  Gilroy  Camp-meeting  in  the 
fall  of  1854.  When  he  felt  called  to  preach  he  was 
living  in  Nevada  City.  R.  W.  Bigham  was  preacher 
in  charge  there.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  B.  PI. 
Russell,  Presiding  Elder.  Though  his  early  advan- 
tages had  not  been  great,  yet  in  his  zeal  for  the  cause 
of  the  Redeemer  who  had  saved  him,  he  threw  him- 
self into  the  work  with  intense  ardor,  and  has  made 
us  one  of  our  most  successful,  useful  preachers.  Sys- 
tematic in  all  his  undertakings,  and  leading  off  in  ev- 
ery good  work,  he  has  the  happy  faculty  of  inspiring 
the  people  of  his  charge  to  do  as  much  for  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Church  as  any  member  of  the  Conference. 
After  all,  it  is  the  man  who  can  set  his  people  to  work 
that  is  the  most  successful.  He  is  ever  willing  to  take 
any  appointment  that  may  be  given  him,  and  he  never 
fails  to  make  any  appointment  he  serves  a  good  one. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  211 

He  works  for  the  people,  and  the  people  work  for  him. 
His  hand  is  seen  in  many  places  in  the  material  build- 
ing up  of  the  Church.  He  is  eminently  a  builder.  He 
commenced  this  work  before  his  admission  on  trial  into 
the  Conference.  While  preaching  as  a  supply  under 
the  presiding  elder  he  organized  the  Healdsburg  Cir- 
cuit, secured  an  eligible  lot  in  the  town  of  Healdsburg, 
and  had  the  lumber  on  the  ground  at  Conference  with 
which  to  build  a  church.  The  Rev.  L.  C.  Adams  com- 
pleted the  work.  He  built  a  beautiful  brick  church  in 
Petaluma,  completed  one  in  Santa  Rosa  that  had  been 
commenced  under  the  administration  of  George  Sim, 
and  built  one  in  San  Francisco.  His  success  in  this 
city  was  a  marvel.  We  had  met  with  so  many  re- 
verses of  fortune  in  San  Francisco  that  many  had  al- 
most despaired  of  ever  getting  a  permanent,  success- 
ful foothold  there.  But  through  the  energy,  persever- 
ance, and  unfailing  faith  manifested  in  his  work,  he 
succeeded  in  building  a  neat  little  chapel  on  Minna 
Street,  which  was  occupied  by  us  as  a  place  of  worship 
for  many  years.  But  the  location  was  unfortunate.  It 
was  upon  a  narrow  street  in  a  part  of  the  city  mainly 
occupied  by  a  Catholic  and  foreign  population. 

When  the  matter  of  moving  the  Pacific  Methodist  Col- 
lege from  Vacaville  was  4etermined  upon,  Brother 
Brown  was  stationed  in  Santa  Rosa,  and  with  his  zeal, 
faith,  and  energy  he  inspired  the  people  of  that  city  with 
an  enthusiasm  akin  to  his  own,  and  they  subscribed  large- 
ly to  have  it  located  there.  When  the  matter  was  deter- 
mined, he  raised  the  subscriptions,  and  personally  su- 
perintended the  erection  of  the  building — not  as  an 
architect,  but  as  pastor  and  trustee  of  the  college\  The 
building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $22,000. 


2i2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Last,  but  not  least,  it  was  through  his  influence  that 
the  Board  of  Church  Extension  purchased  a  handsome 
church  in  the  city  of  Oakland.  His  energy  has  never 
flagged.  The  second  circuit  he  traveled,  he  did  the 
most  of  it  on  foot,  never  complaining,  counting  it  all 
joy  to  do  his  Master's  work  in  any  way  his  providence 
might  direct.  When  traveling  the  Coulterville  Circuit 
he  walked  all  the  way  around  it,  and  it  was  a  work  of 
no  mean  proportions.  Often  in  the  winter  he  waded 
through  snow  knee -deep  going  from  one  appointment 
to  another  over  the  mountains.  As  he  says:  "My 
work  of  life  has  been  a  work  of  love;  my  life  a  joy- 
ous one."  All  honor  to  this  faithful  servant  of  Him  who 
trod  life's  dusty  ways  to  bring  us  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation. 

As  presiding  elder,  Brother  Brown  was  ever  faithful, 
spending  all  his  time  in  preaching,  visiting,  and  work- 
ing up  the  interests  of  his.  district.  His  zeal  for  the 
missionary  cause  is  very  great.  When  he  preaches  on 
that  subject  all  feel  that  he  is  in  earnest.  We  trust 
that  he  will  long  be  spared   to  bless  the  Church  with 

his  labors. 

M.  F.  Jones  traveled  but  two  years,  and  was  discon- 
tinued. 

Drury  K.  Bond  was  bora  in  Dickson  County,  Tenn., 
Dec.  21,  1823.  He  came  to  California  in  an  early  day 
and  engaged  in  mining,  but,  like  many  others,  he  was 
not  successful.  In  the  year  1853  he  was  converted 
and  joined  the  Church  under  the  ministry  of  M.  Ev- 
ans, who  was  at  the  time  stationed  in  Sonora.  Some 
time  after  his  conversion  he  felt  that  he  was  called 
of  God  to  the  ministry,  and  conferring  not  with  flesh 
and  blood,  he  at  once  entered  the  ranks  of  the  labor- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  213 

ers,  and  joined  the  Pacific  Conference  on  trial.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  two  years  of  probation  he  was 
admitted  into  full  connection.  That  year  he  was  sent 
to  Yankee  Jim's  Circuit,  and  although  he  felt  his  health 
failing  him,  he  pressed  on  in  his  work,  visiting  from  house 
to  house,  praying  and  talking  with  the  people.  He 
was  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  of  a  number 
of  conversions.  Just  before  the  ensuing  session  of  the 
Conference  his  health  gave  way,  and  he  did  not  reach 
the  Conference  until  near  its  close.  He  took  an  ap- 
pointment, but  consumption  developed,  and  he  rapid- 
ly sunk  under  its  wasting  power.  Some  two  or  three 
months  before  his  death  he  went  to  Grass  Valley, 
where  he  found  a  resting-place  in  the  hospitable  home 
of  that  friend  of  the  preachers,  Mrs.  T.  K.  Neal, 
mother  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Neal.  His  own  mother  could 
not  have  cared  for  him  with  more  tender  solicitude. 
He  died  September  12,  1861.  He  sent  this  message  to 
his  brethren  from  his  dying  bed!  "  Tell  my  brethren  of 
the  Pacific  Conference  to  preach  Jesus,  and  nothing 
but  Jesus,  and  never  give  up  the  struggle." 

Brother  Bond  was  a  sweet-spirited  Christian,  faithful 
in  all  the  relations  of  life.  Before  he  entered  the  min- 
istry, as  steward,  class-leader,  and  Sunday-school  su- 
perintendent, he  was  always  in  his  place,  and  made  all 
connected  with  him  feel  that  he  was  in  deep  sympathy 
with  them  in  the  work  of  their  salvation.  He  was 
happy  in  the  faculty  of  cultivating  the  good-will  and 
securing  the  respect  of  all. 

Isaiah  L.  Hopkins  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
April  17,  1831;  came  to  California  in  1852.  He  was 
converted  at  the  early  age  of  eight,  and  from  his  con- 
version felt  a  call  to  preach.      After  coming  to  Califor- 


214  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

nia  he  worked  in  the  mines  in  Tuolumne  County.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  October  26,  1857,  R.  W.  Big- 
ham  being  the  presiding  elder. 

The  first  year  in  the  Pacific  Conference  his  fortune 
was  to  be  placed  as  junior  preacher  under  the  great 
revivalist,  J.  T.  Cox,  on  the  Bodega  Circuit,  in  Sonoma 
County.  Doubtless  here  he  learned  many  important 
lessons  in  soul-saving.  The  circuit  was  a  very  large 
one,  embracing  Petaluma,  Santa  Rosa,  Healdsburg, 
Mark  West,  and  Macedonia.  Revival -meetings  were 
held  at  all  these  points,  and  many  souls  wTere  converted 
and  brought  into  the  Church. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  a  camp-meeting  was  held  at 
the  old  Bodega  Camp  -  ground  that  was  one  of  the 
grandest  ever  held  on  the  coast.  The  whole  circuit 
was  glowing  under  the  faithful  preaching  of  these  two 
men  of  God,  and  every  thing  was  ripe  for  this  "Feast 
of  Tabernacles."  Willing  workers  flocked  to  the 
meeting,  and  with  the  first  service  the  good  work  be- 
gan.    More  than  one  hundred  souls  were  converted. 

The  junior  preacher  received  seventy-jive  dollars  for 
his  arduous  services  during  the  year. 
'  The  next  year  Brother  Hopkins  was  sent  to  El  Dorado 
Circuit,  in  the  mines.  Here  he  had  some  thirty  or 
forty  conversions.  One  notable  triumph  of  the  Cross 
was  the  capture  of  one  of  the  strongholds  of  Satan. 
The  keeper  of  a  saloon  and  dance-house  was  convert- 
ed, and  his  place  of  business  and  revelry  turned  into 
a  church.  The  counter  was  cut  in  two,  and  one-half 
of  it  converted  into  a  pulpit.  The  partitions  of  the 
upper  rooms  were  made  into  seats  for  the  congrega- 
tion, while  a  back  room  was  changed  into  a  parsonage 
for  the  preacher. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


3i5 


At  Napa  and  Sonoma  he  was  equally  successful. 
More  than  60  souls  were  converted  at  a  camp-meeting 
held  this  year,  and  a  handsome  church  was  brought 
near  to  completion  in  the  town  of  Napa,  at  a  cost  of 
$2,500.  By  some  means  in  after-years  we  not  only  lost 
this  church  -  building,  but  lost  all  our  interests  as  a 
Church  in  the  lovely  town  of  Napa. 

About  this  time  the  way  was  opening  for  our  Church 
in  Oregon,  and  Brother  Hopkins  was  sent  thither  and 
stationed  in  the  city  of  Portland.  He  commenced 
preaching  in  a  rented  house,  organized  with  12  mem- 
bers, and  before  the  year  closed  the  membership  had 
increased  to  100  souls.  More  than  40  were  converted 
at  a  camp-meeting  on  the  Columbia  River,  at  which 
R.  C.  Martin,  James  Kelsay,  and  C.  H.  E.  Newton  as- 
sisted. 

The  next  year  he  was  on  the  Salem  Circuit.  Here 
he  found  a  Church  of  about  45  members.  At  a  camp- 
meeting  held  near  Salem,  this  year,  some  40  were  con- 
verted. He  was  assisted  by  O.  Fisher,  C.  H.  E.  New- 
ton, R.  C.  Martin,  and  James  Kelsay.  One  remarka- 
ble feature  of  this  meeting  was  the  happy  conversion 
of  about  twenty  avowed  infidels.  These  men,  in  the 
wild  freedom  of  frontier  life,  had  thrown  off  all  relig- 
ious restraint,  and  openly  declared  themselves  unbe- 
lievers. Numbers  had  increased  their  courage,  and 
they  were  bold  to  avow  their  sentiments  of  infidelity. 
They  attended  this  meeting,  and  when  they  witnessed 
the  power  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  heard 
those  men  of  God  preach  the  gospel  in  power  and 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  they  saw  their  refuge  of 
lies  tottering  to  its  fall,  and  themselves  left  without  pro- 
tection from  the   storm  of  God's  wrath.     They  began 


216  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

to  forsake  their  errors;  one  after  another  yielded,  until 
nearly  all  of  them  were  brought  into  the  Church  by 
a  saving  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  founda- 
tion of  a  church-building  was  laid,  which  was  not  com- 
pleted till  the  year  following.  This  year  (1S62)  he  was 
happily  married  to  Miss  Mary  Duncan,  who  has  ever 
since  shared  his  joys  and  sorrows,  proving  a  true  itin- 
erant's wife,  ever  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Church. 
The  next  year  he  was  on  the  Eugene  City  Circuit, 
in  Oregon,  with  twelve  appointments,  most  of  them  in 
school-houses.  He  held  two  camp-meetings  this  year, 
beside  a  number  of  protracted- meetings.  The  mem- 
bership was  increased  from  160  to  over  300.  For  two 
or  three  months  of  this  year  he  was  prostrated  with 
lung  fever,  on  account  of  which  he  was  forced  to  seek 
a  milder  climate.  He  was  sent  to  Jacksonville  Circuit, 
where  he  remained  but  eight  months.  Here  he  erected 
a  church,  doing  much  of  the  work  with  his  own  hands. 
He  was  changed  by  his  presiding  elder  to  the  Will- 
iamsburg and  Kirbyville  Circuit,  two  mining-towns. 
He  rented  a  parsonage,  but  so  attentive  were  the  peo- 
ple to  the  preacher's  wants  that  his  whole  expenditure 
for  the  year  amounted  to  but  twenty-jive  cents,  and 
that  was  spent  for  soda  to  raise  his  biscuits.  On  the 
day  that  he  reached  Williamsburg  his  quarterly-meet- 
ing was  to  be  held.  The  presiding  elder  got  word 
during  the  day  that  his  wife  was  very  ill.  He  had  no 
money,  and  there  was  no  time  to  raise  him  any.  Broth- 
er Hopkins  gave  him  all  he  had — two  dollars.  That 
evening  he  went  into  an  old,  deserted  miner's  cabin  to 
secret  prayer,  and  as  he  knelt  down  he  saw  lying  be- 
fore him  on  the  table  a  ten-dollar  gold  piece.  He 
looked  upon   this  as  a  special  providence,  and  as  a  gift 


On  the  Pacific  Coast;  217 

from  that  God  whose  hand  knows  just  where  to  place 
those  things  his  children  need. 

Here  the  citizens  bought  a  saloon  and  converted  it 
into  a  church.  As  on  the  former  occasion,  the  counter 
was  transformed  into  a  pulpit. 

He  found  it  necessary  to  leave  Oregon  for  the  milder 
climate  of  California.  Accordingly,  in  company  with 
the  Revs.  D.  M.  Rice  and  A.  C.  Howlett,  he  set  out 
across  the  mountains  on  his  journey.  During  the  trip 
the  horses  of  Rice  and  Howlett  were  stolen.  They 
borrowed  other  horses  and  proceeded  on  their  journey. 
Just  before  reaching  Colusa  they  passed  two  men  on 
their  stolen  horses.  Without  saying  a  word  to  them, 
they  rode  on  into  Colusa,  got  out  warrants  and  had 
them  arrested  as  they  rode  into  town.  The  preachers 
got  possession  of  their  property,  and  the  men  were  sent 
to  the  State's  prison  for  a  term  of  three  years.  This 
year — 1865 — he  was  stationed  in  Colusa  City.  The 
year  1864  was  what  is  known  as  the  "dry  year.*'  The 
severest  drought  prevailed  over  the  greater  portion  of 
California  than  had  ever  been  known  since  it  became 
a  State.  In  many  portions  of  the  State  there  were 
absolutely  no  crops.  Hay  went  up  to  $So  per  ton,  and 
every  thing  else  in  proportion.  Of  course  the  burden 
fell  with  great  weight  upon  the  preachers.  Sister 
Hopkins  was  sick  the  most  of  the  year.  Not  only  so, 
but  this  was  a  year  of  great  political  excitement.  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  been  assassinated,  and  the  hearts  of  many 
were  fired  to  an  intensity  of  feeling  that  required  but  a 
breath  to  set  them  glowing  Brothers  Scoggins,  Camp- 
bell, and  several  other  members  of  our  Church  in  Co- 
lusa were  suspected  of  expressing  joy  at  the  assassina- 
tion, and  thev  were  arrested  and  chained  to  trees  near 


2i8  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

the  parsonage,  where  they  were  closely  guarded  day 
and  night,  none  of  their  friends  being  allowed  to  ap- 
proach them.  Here  they  were  kept  for  several  weeks. 
Others  were  soon  arrested,  when  they  were  taken  to 
Alcatraz  Island  and  imprisoned,  where  they  remained 
until  peace  was  formally  declared.  During  this  ex- 
citement an  officer  came  to  arrest  Brother  Hopkins, 
but  recognizing  in  him  an  old  friend,  he  declined  to 
make  the  arrest.  God  honored  his  laborers  even  in 
these  troublous  times,  and  souls  were  converted  under 
his  ministry. 

From  Colusa  he  went  to  Gilroy,  where  he  labored 
for  two  years.  While  here  he  built  a  church  at  what 
is  known  as  the  Redwoods. 

His  next  charge  was  Visalia.  It  was  a  long  move, 
but  P.  P.  Byrd,  one  of  the  leading  members  of  that 
charge,  took  his  wragon  and  was  at  all  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  the  move.  They  took  possession  of  the 
parsonage  and  commenced  tacking  down  carpets  and 
arranging  to  live,  when  two  gentlemen  came  to  the 
house  and  told  them  it  was  unnecessary  for  them  to  pro- 
ceed any  farther,  as  they  held  a  mortgage  on  both 
church  and  parsonage  for  $800,  and  that  they  were  un- 
willing to  wait  any  longer  for  their  money,  and  had 
concluded  to  foreclose  the  mortgage  at  once.  They 
begged  a  stay  of  proceedings  for  two  months.  They 
went  to  work,  and,  by  an  entertainment  that  lasted 
three  days,  realized  enough  to  pay  off  the  entire  in- 
debtedness. To  no  one  was  more  due  for  the  success 
of  this  enterprise  than  old  Sister  Vanvalkenburg.  The 
next  summer  the  old  parsonage  was  sold  and  a  new 
one  built. 

A  camp-meeting  was   held  each   of  the   two-years' 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  219 

stay  at  this  point,  and  over  200  converts  were  the 
fruits.  While  here  the  town  of  Visalia  was  visited 
by  a  flood,  the  water  reaching  to  the  window-sills 
of  the  parsonage.  Sister  Hopkins  and  children  were 
taken  out  on  horseback,  Brother  Hopkins  wading  in 
water  waist-deep  leading  the  horse.  They  took  refuge 
in  the  Visalia  Seminary  building,  where  they  were 
forty-eight  hours  without  food.  Every  period  has  its 
perils,  and  all  times  their  trials,  and  there  are  always 
enough  brave  men  in  God's  sacramental  army  to  meet 
any  emergency. 

He  was  removed  to  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit,  where 
with  indomitable  energy  he  built  two  good  churches — 
one  at  Bay  View  and  the  other  at  Mountain  View. 
He  held  a  camp-meeting  each  year,  at  which  there 
were  over  100  conversions. 

The  next  year  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit  was  divided, 
and  Brother  Hopkins  was  placed  on  what  was  called 
Mountain  View  Circuit.  Here  he  spent  two  pleasant 
and  profitable  years. 

The  next  three  years  were  spent  in  San  Jose  Station, 
where  he  succeeded  in  building  a  beautiful  church  in  the 
place  of  the  old  brick  that  had  stood  for  a  score  of 
years.  From  San  Jose  he  went  to  Sacramento,  where 
he  did  a  good  work.  Again  he  was  sent  to  the  Mount- 
ain View  Circuit,  where  he  built  a  neat  parsonage. 

He  was  next  sent  to  Fresno  Circuit,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years,  paying  a  considerable  amount  on  a 
church  debt,  and  building  a  parsonage.  Here  his 
health  began  to  fail.  For  two  years  he  fought  bravely 
against  superannuation.  He  who  had  so  long  led  in 
the  charge  against  the  powers  of  darkness,  whose 
sword  was  still   bright  with   constant   use,   could    not 


220  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

bear  the  idea  of  turning  aside  while  others  went  shout- 
ing to  the  fray.  But  God  bade  him  cease.  For  years 
he  has  been  a  helpless  invalid.  In  his  shattered  tene- 
ment he  waits  the  Masters  call  to  the  "  rest  that  re- 
mains to  the  people  of  God."  Not  a  cloud  hangs  be- 
tween him  and  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  A  starry 
crown  awaits  our  brother.  May  his  end  be  glorious  as 
his  life  has  been  true! 

Iry  Taylor  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Tennessee, 
December  10,  1806.  His  parents  moved  to  Alabama, 
where  he  grew  up  to  manhood  and  married.  In  1837 
he  moved  to  Texas,  where,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
he  was  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  Methodist 
preachers  who  were  following  men  to  every  nook  and 
corner  of  our  Western  frontier.  His  wife  was  first 
converted,  and  after  a  long  and  hard  struggle  he  was 
brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth.  At  once 
he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach,  but  he  fought  against 
the  impression,  and  to  get  away  from  his  convictions 
of  duty  he  joined  a  company  of  emigrants  to  Califor- 
nia during  the  great  gold  excitement.  He  settled  in 
the  mines.  But  when  he  looked  around  him  and  saw 
the  class  of  society  into  which  he  had  voluntarily 
thrown  his  family,  he  determined,  as  soon  as  he  could 
make  money  enough,  to  return  to  Texas.  In  the  mean- 
time his  wife  adopted  the  better  plan,  and  began  pray- 
ing that  God  would  send  them  a  preacher;  and  it  was 
not  long  before  a  man  rode  up  to  the  little  mining  hotel 
they  were  keeping,  and  asked  if  there  were  any  Meth- 
odists in  the  town.  His  wife,  who  heard  the  question, 
said,  "Come  in;  for  I  know  that  you  are  a  preacher." 
It  was  the  Rev.  Green  Woods,  of  our  Church,  who 
was,  like  his  Master,  out  in  the   mountains  hunting  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  221 

lost  and  straying.     This  was  in  the  town  of  Vallecita. 
Brother  Taylor  at  once  went  out  and  secured  a  saloon 
as  a  preaching-place.     There  were  several  monte  tables 
in  the  saloon.     As  the  preacher  entered  the  room  one 
of   the  gamblers   slyly  dropped  a  deck  of  cards    into 
his  pocket.     It  happened  to  be  the  pocket  in  which  he 
carried  his  Bible.     So  when  he  put  his  hand  into  his 
pocket  he  drew  forth  the  deck  of  cards  first.     With  no 
apparent  concern  he  laid  them  on  the  table  before  him, 
and  then  drew  out  his  Bible  and  laid  it  on  the  deck.    A 
titter  ran  round  the  room.     But  the  preacher  delivered 
a  very  feeling  sermon,   and  proceeded   to   organize  a 
Church.     Four  united — Iry  Taylor,  wife  and  daughter, 
and  another  lady,  whose  name  is  forgotten.     A  strong 
reaction  had  taken  place  in  Taylor's  heart.     His  expe- 
rience with  godless  people  had  driven  him  back  to  his 
Master  and  his  duty,  and  at  once  he  went  to  work  to 
build  a  church.     T.  C.   Barton   and  S.   dishing  took 
hold  with  him  with  zeal  and  energy,  and  it  was  not 
long  until  they  had  a  place  in  which  to  worship  God. 
There  were  at  this  time  many  reckless  men  in  Cali- 
fornia— men  who  had  once  been  Christians,  and  some 
of  them  Christian   ministers,  who,  to  stifle  the  clamor- 
ings  of  conscience,  indulged  in  the  vilest  practices.    As 
illustrative  of  this,  Brother  Taylor  relates  an  incident 
that  came  under  his  own  observation:  "I  walked  out 
one  Sunday  morning,  and  in  passing  a  saloon  there  was 
a  man,  who  went  by  the  name  of  'Kentuck,'  standing 
in   the  door  exhorting  the    people  to    do  better.     He 
made  some  powerful  appeals.     (This  was  all  done  in 
mockery.)     After  which,  turning  to    a  man  who    sat 
behind  him,  he  said,  'Consecrate  the  elements.'     This 
man  had  been  a  Baptist  preacher  in  the  State  of  Mis- 


222  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

souri.  The  other  had  been,  I  suppose,  a  Methodist 
preacher  in  the  State  of  Kentucky.  They  spread  the 
elements — consisting  of  crackers  and  whisky — upon  a 
bench.  When  the  man  rose,  he  said,  '  Let  us  pray,' 
and  he  kneeled  down  and  prayed,  if  it  could  be  called 
a  prayer;  then  arose  and  invited  all  that  wished  to  com- 
mune to  kneel  at  a  bench  before  the  saloon  door  in  the 
street.  'Kentuck'  urged  them  to  come  with  horrid 
oaths,  telling  them  if  they  did  not  come  they  should 
not  have  any  whisky  for  a  week.  Four  young  men 
came  forward  and  knelt  at  the  bench  and  received  the 
crackers  and  whisky,  in  mockery  of  the  communion. 
While  they  were  passing  the  crackers  and  whisky 
round,  an  old  Mexican  who  was  present  saw  his  little 
son,  about  eight  or  ten  years  of  age,  standing  not  far 
off.  He  stormed  at  him  to  leave  there  quick,  as  it  was 
no  place  for  him.  Not  long  after  this  small-pox  visit- 
ed the  town,  and  was  quite  fatal,  carrying  off  a  good 
many.  Among  those  that  died  were  the  two  preach- 
ers and  three  of  the  four  young  men  that  partook  of 
the  crackers  and  whisky.  The  other  young  man  prom- 
ised the  Lord  if  he  would  spare  him,  he  would  lead  a 
different  life.  He  recovered,  failed  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian according  to  his  promise,  and  went  blind,  and  had 
to  be  led  wherever  he  went." 

Soon  after  this  the  church  was  finished,  and  the  presid- 
ing elder,  J.  F.  Blythe,  assisted  by  Morris  Evans,  J.  C. 
Pendergrast,  and  others,  held  a  protracted-meeting  that 
resulted  in  a  glorious  revival.  Among  those  converted 
were  J.  W.  Stahl  and  T.  C.  Barton,  who  subsequently 
became  members  of  the  Pacific  Conference,  and  did 
valiant  service  for  the  Master.  Barton  is  still  sroingr  in 
and  out  among  us,  unwearied  in  the  service  of  the  Re- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  223 

deemer.  But  Stahl  has  fallen  on  sleep,  and  gone  to  his 
reward. 

S.  Cushing  and  Harrell,  two  others  who  be- 
came preachers,  were  converted  at  this  meeting.  And 
it  may  be  that  Iry  Taylor  might  never  have  entered  the 
itinerant  ranks  had  it  not  been  for  this  meeting.  Busi- 
ness called  him  first  to  Cave  City,  then  to  San  An- 
dreas. This  latter  place  at  the  time  was  embraced  in 
the  bounds  of  the  Linden  Circuit,  E.  G.  Cannon  and 
F.  G.  Gray  being  the  preachers.  During  the  year  J. 
F.  Blythe,  the  presiding  elder,  removed  Gray  from  the 
circuit,  and  employed  Iry  Taylor  in  his  place.  The 
work  of  the  Lord  prospered  in  his  hands,  and  a  glori- 
ous revival  followed  his  labors.  Cannon  soon  afterward 
got  into  some  difficulty  that  interfered  with  his  useful- 
ness on  the  circuit,  and  he  was  removed,  and  T.  C.  Bar- 
ton put  in  his  place.  This  young  man,  who  had  been 
intimately  associated  with  Iry  Taylor  in  Vallecita,  came 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  His  preaching  was  with  pow- 
er, and  many  souls  were  gathered  into  the  Church 
through  the  joint  labors  of  these  two  men.  The  meet- 
ing continued  thirty  -  two  nights.  One  young  man, 
James  Duncan — son  of  that  old  veteran,  Hiram  Dun- 
can, than  whom  but  few  laymen  in  the  Church  on  this 
coast  have  done  more  to  sustain  the  cause  than  he — was 
converted  during  this  meeting-.  He  afterward  married 
the  widow  of  J.  F.  Blythe,  and  has  been  an  acceptable 
and  useful  local  preacher  for  years. 

During  the  year  106  conversions  occurred  under  the 
labors  of  these  two  men. 

The  next  year  Brother  Taylor  was  sent  to  Sacramen- 
to Circuit,  and  the  year  following  he  was  sent  to  Val- 
lecita to  enable  him  to  settle  some  business  affairs  that 


224  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

he  had  been  engaged  in  before  he  entered  the  Confer- 
ence. The  presiding  elder,  however,  changed  him  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  year  to  Stockton  Circuit.  He  says 
of  his  labors  here:  "There  was  no  organization  on  that 
work  at  the  time.  My  wife  and  I  traveled  that  year 
from  place  to  place,  having  no  particular  spot  that  we 
could  call  our  home.  In  the  fall  we  held  a  camp-meet- 
ing at  which  there  were  some  conversions — went  to 
Conference,  and  was  returned  to  the  work  another 
year.  I  rented  a  house  in  French  Camp,  four  miles 
above  Stockton,  Brother  J.  C.  Simmons  being  my  pre- 
siding elder.  This  was  among  the  happiest  years  of 
my  life.  We  had  a  revival  all  the  year  round — had  a 
camp-meeting  in  McKamy's  neighborhood.  My  pre- 
siding elder,  J.  C.  Simmons,  was  on  hand,  and  such 
faithful  preaching  as  he  did  during  the  meeting  I  never 
heard  him  do  before  nor  since.  The  altar  was  crowded 
day  and  night.  One  old  infidel,  that  I  had  persuaded 
to  come  to  the  meeting,  came  to  me  one  day  with  the 
tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  and  said,  'That 
man's  preaching  has  knocked  all  the  infidelity  out  of 
me.'  I  advised  him  to  go  home  and  burn  his  infidel 
library,  but  he  would  not.  He  quenched  his  convic- 
tions, and  what  became  of  him  I  know  not." 

Brother  Taylor  relates  an  incident  in  his  experience 
this  year  to  show  what  some  of  us  had  to  undergo  in 
this  pioneer  work.  He  was  noted  for  hunting  up  those 
that  were  living  where  they  were  denied  the  privileges 
of  the  gospel.  He  says:  "My  circuit  extended  up  the 
river,  and  at  the  upper  end,  just  across  the  river,  was  a 
sort  of  out-of-the-way  neighborhood  of  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  families.  I  made  it  a  rule  to  visit  such  neigh- 
borhoods,   if   there    were    any    such   near   my    work. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  225 

In  this  place  a  friend  of  mine  was  living  whom  I 
had  known  in  Cave  City.  After  visiting  the  people 
and  preaching  to  them,  they  asked  me  to  give  them  a 
regular  appointment,  which  I  did.  It  was  some  thirty 
miles  from  French  Camp,  where  I  lived.  On  Saturday 
morning  I  started  for  this  neighborhood.  I  went  to 
this  friend's  house,  arriving  about  sundown  hungry  and 
tired.  The  lady  was  engaged  in  rendering  up  the  fat 
of  a  sheep  that  had  been  drowned,  it  was  supposed,  in 
the  river.  Her  son  saw  it  floating  down,  and  as  they 
were  short  of  dog-meat,  he  swam  in  and  brought  it  to 
land.  At  supper  I  ate  a  biscuit  and  drank  a  cup  of 
coffee,  and  went  to  bed.  Between  where  I  lay  and  the 
kitchen  there  was  but  a  thin  partition.  I  could  hear 
all  that  was  said.     The  lady  said  to  her  son: 

"  '  What  did  you  do  with  the  carcass  of  that  sheep?' 
"  He  said,  '  I  hung  it  up  in  a  tree  for  the  dogs.' 
'   '  I  have  a  great  mind  to  get  some  of  it  for  breakfast. 
The  preacher  is  here,  and  we  have  no  meat.     The  suet 
smells  all  right,  and  I  believe  it  is  good.' 

"The  son    said:  'Well,   it  was   still  warm  when  I 
pulled  it  out  of  the  river.' 

"'Then,'  said  she,  'go  and  bring  it  to  the  house.' 
"He  went  out,  and  in  a  few  minutes  brought  it  in  and 
laid  it  on  the  table.  My  whole  nature  rebelled  against 
the  thought  of  eating  of  a  sheep  that  had  died — no  one 
knew  how.  The  next  morning  one  of  the  boys  brought 
in  a  large  fish  that  he  had  just  caught,  and  I  fondly 
hoped  that  that  fish  would  be  the  saving  clause  in  my 
breakfast.  When  breakfast  was  announced,  they  had 
a  large  dish  of  fried  mutton  and  a  plate  of  fish.  I  took 
a  piece  of  the  fish,  when  lo!  it  had  been  fried  in  the 
sheep  suet!  I  opened  a  biscuit — it  had  been  shortened 
15 


226  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

with  the  same!  I  drank  a  cup  of  coffee,  excused  my- 
self, and  went  out  for  my  horse.  When  I  came  back, 
the  lady  was  preparing  to  go  to  church  with  me  in  my 
buggy.  This  would  necessarily  bring  me  back  to  her 
house.  But  I  could  not  help  myself.  After  preaching, 
a  lady  asked  my  friend  to  go  home  with  her  to  dinner. 
I  told  her  by  all  means  to  go,  and  I  would  take  her 
home  in  the  evening.  She  consented.  When  we  got 
there,  the  lady  told  her  she  had  no  meat.  k  I  have  plen- 
ty at  my  house,'  said  my  friend.  She  told  her  to  send 
over  and  get  a  piece.  Accordingly,  a  boy  was  dis- 
patched, and  in  due  time  came  back  with  a  liberal  por- 
tion of  my  '  Nemesis '  of  a  sheep.  So  when  dinner 
came  on,  here  was  this  mutton  again,  and  a  part  of  the 
same  fish!  I  could  no  more  eat  of  them  now  than  be- 
fore. I  took  some  potatoes  on  my  plate.  They  had 
been  warmed  over  in  the  mutton  gravy!  By  this  time 
I  was  growing  weak  and  sick,  having  eaten  nothing 
since  Saturday  morning.  I  drank  a  cup  of  tea.  It  was 
after  sundown  before  I  could  get  the  lady  to  go  home. 
I  drank  a  little  coffee  for  supper,  and  went  to  bed.  In 
the  morning  I  arose  and  harnessed  my  horse,  and  was 
preparing  to  leave,  when  I  was  called  in  to  breakfast. 
I  had  to  face  that  mutton  again!  Like  a  coward,  I  fled 
from  the  face  of  my  enemy.  I  had  to  drive  about  ten 
miles  before  reaching  a  house.  It  was  the  house  of  a 
special  friend.     As  I  entered,  I  said: 

"  '  Sister  M.,  have  you  any  yellow-legged  chickens  on 
your  place?" 

"  '  Plenty,'  said  she. 

"  'Then  get  me  one  ready  in  twenty  minutes,  if  pos- 
sible, for  I  have  eaten  nothing  since  Saturday  morn- 
ing-.' 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  22 


"  It  was  now  noon  on  Monday.  I  lay  down  and 
soon  fell  asleep.  When  I  was  called,  such  a  breakfast  as 
was  spread  before  me  would  have  tempted  any  man, 
much  less  one  in  my  condition.  I  tarried  under  this 
hospitable  roof  for  two  days,  until  I  had  made  full 
atonement  to  my  outraged  stomach." 

He  filled  appointments  for  five  or  six  years  more, 
when  he  was  given  a  superannuated  relation  in  1868. 
He  bears  that  relation  to  the  Conference  still.  He  is 
now  in  his  seventy -ninth  year,  while  his  faithful  wife 
is  in  her  seventy-filch.  It  is  proper  in  this  connection 
to  say  that  she  has  been  a  true  itinerant's  wife — not 
only  sharing  the  privations  of  her  husband,  but  assist- 
ing him  in  his  work  for  the  Church.  But  few  women 
in  the  ranks  of  itinerants'  wives  on  this  coast  have  done 
more  than  she  in  actual  work  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Whatever  of  success  has  attended  the  labors  of  Iry 
Taylor,  much  of  it  is  due  to  her.  She  went  with  him 
in  his  rounds  of  pastoral  visitations,  talked  and  prayed 
with  the  people.  At  revival  and  camp-meetings  she 
was  a  faithful  worker  in  the  altar,  pointing  sinners  to 
Christ,  and  comforting  the  mourners  in  Zion. 

The  old  couple  are  leading  a  quiet  life  in  the  town  of 
Vacaville,  waiting  the  Master's  call  to  come  up  higher, 
willing  to  stay  and  wait,  or  to  go  at  any  moment. 

Moses  Clampit  was  re-admitted  at  this  Conference. 
He  came  from  the  Illinois  Conference  of  the  M.  E. 
Church.  He  was  a  very  eccentric  man — his  eccen- 
tricities ofttimes  outweighing  his  better  qualities. 
While  eccentricities  which  partake  of  the  humorous 
often  open  the  way  of  a  preacher,  if  he  have  the  good 
sense  to  improve  the  opening,  yet  they  are  ever  to  be 
regarded  as  a  misfortune.     Not  only  do  thev  do  an  in- 


2  2S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

jury  to  the  individual  himself,  but  younger  preachers 
often  pattern  after  him;  and  as  one  who  patterns  after 
another  is  almost  always  sure  to  adopt  the  most  objec- 
tionable features,  it  is  a  calamity  to  have  an  eccentric 
man  engaged  in  the  Christian  ministry. 

Moses  Clampit  remained  in  the  local  ranks  for  sev- 
eral years  before  he  made  application  for  admission 
into  the  traveling  connection.  He  resided  in  Santa 
Clara  Valley.  W.  R.  Bane  tells  an  anecdote  of  the 
old  man  that  gives  a  fair  index  to  his  peculiarities. 
He  had  an  ajDpointment  to  preach  in  Gilroy  at  an  early 
day,  soon  after  the  organization  of  our  Church  at  that 
point.  "  It  was  on  Monday  evening.  Everybody 
turned  out  to  hear  him.  Just  as  he  was  laying  off  the 
divisions  of  his  subject,  a  full-grown  dog-fight  com- 
menced in  the  yard.  Whereupon  one  and  all  rushed 
to  look  after  their  dogs.  The  dogs  were  legged  and 
parted,  when  all  returned  and  resumed  their  seats  with 
as  little  delay  as  the  nature  of  the  case  would  allow. 
The  preacher,  who  had  sat  down  to  await  the  issue, 
arose,  and  in  a  voice  as  solemn  as  death,  said:  '  I  had 
hoped,  at  least,  to  be  as  interesting  as  a  dog-fight,  but 
it  seems  that  I  am  only  a  secondary  consideration.  So 
much  for  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ'  " 

Upon  one  occasion  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  of 
the  Mormon  Church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints  visited 
California.  He  visited  Santa  Clara,  and  sought  an  op- 
portunity to  preach,  but  found  a  difficulty  in  getting  a 
place  in  which  to  hold  a  service.  We  had  an  old 
church-building  standing  in  town  that  had  not  been 
used  for  some  time,  and  some  one  told  him  he  might 
preach    in   that.      The    appointment    was    announced. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  229 

The  members  of  our  Church  in  the  valley  heard  that 
there  was  to  be  preaching  in  our  church  in  town,  and 
supposing  it  to  be  one  of  our  preachers,  turned  out  in 
force.  The  Apostle  was  not  long  in  undeceiving  them. 
He  told  them  who  and  what  he  was.  And  after 
preaching  some  time,  he  told  them  that  "the  signs  of 
an  Apostle  "  were  in  him — that  he  ^ould  "  speak  with 
new  tongues;  he  could  take  up  serpents;  and  if  he 
should  drink  any  deadly  thing  it  would  not  hurt  him." 
Brother  Clampit,  who  was  present,  had  been  growing 
more  and  more  restless  with  every  sentence,  and  when 
the  speaker  reached  this  point,  he  rose  to  his  feet  in 
the  congregation.  All  eyes  were  upon  him.  Pratt, 
the  Apostle,  paused,  when  the  old  man  said:  "  Look 
a-here,  old  man.  If  you'll  take  a  good  dose  of — of — 
er-r  (turning  to  the  brother  that  sat  by  his  side)  awee! 
Brother  Rucker,  what's  that  stuff  you  kill  squirrels 
with?"  "Strychnine."  "  That's  it.  If  you'll  take  a 
good  dose  of  strychnine,  and  it  don't  knock  you  as 
cold  as  a  wagon-tire,  I'll  jine  you."  The  effect  was 
overwhelming.  The  crowd,  who  were  growing  impa- 
tient, broke  out  into  one  loud  roar  of  laughter  that 
wound  up  the  exercises. 

He  had  but  little  patience  with  instrumental  music 
in  the  churches.  He  saw  with  their  introduction  sci- 
entific or  artistic  singing  by  the  choir  would  usurp 
the  place  of  congregational  singing,  and  hence  he  fre- 
quently took  occasion  to  make  flings  at  it.  Having  an 
appointment  to  preach  in  San  Jose  in  1855,  the  choir 
led  off  in  the  service  of  song.  He  eyed  the  organ  and 
those  surrounding:  it  as  he  would  an  enemv.  After  a 
peculiar  prayer,  he  rose  and  commenced  singing  a  long- 
meter  hymn  in  the  most  unmusical,  cracked  voice  that 


230  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ever  afflicted  a  worshiping  assembly.  The  hymn  was 
long  as  well  as  the  meter,  and  he  omitted  not  a  single 
doleful  note  until  the  last  line  had  been  rendered. 
Then  with  a  self-satisfied  air,  and  with  a  triumphant 
look  at  the  organ,  he  said:  "  I  reckon  you  think  I  can't 
sing,  but  I've  seen  the  day  that  I  could  beat  any  of 
your  fiddles  and  Jew's-harps."  The  young  people  of 
town  said  it  was  equal  to  a  circus  to  hear  Clampit. 
One  evening  he  was  preaching  in  San  Jose,  when  in 
the  midst  of  his  discourse  a  young  man  rose  and  walked 
leisurely  out.  As  he  arose,  Clampit  stopped,  and  with 
apparently  deep  solicitude  he  watched  each  step.  As 
he  reached  the  door  he  spoke  to  the  young  man: 

"Good-evening,  sir!" 

The  young  man  turned  about,  and  with  all  the  po- 
liteness of  a  Chesterfield,  said: 

"Good-evening,  Mr.  Clampit!" 

The  effect  can  better  be  imagined  than  described. 

No  man  delighted  in  his  peculiarities  more  than  him- 
elf,  especially  if  they  seemed  to  annoy  others. 

In  the  year  1853  there  was  a  camp -meeting  held 
under  the  live-oaks  east  of  the  Pajaro  Valley.  It  was 
the  first  camp-meeting  ever  held  in  that  section.  There 
were  but  few  preachers  present.  But  Clampit  was 
among  them.  He  was  usually  in  the  habit  of  preaching 
very  long  sermons;  in  fact,  he  felt  that  he  had  never 
been  licensed  to  preach  short  sermons,  and  he  magni- 
fied his  office.  It  became  necessary  to  preach  him  dur- 
ing the  meeting.  For  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good 
of  the  meeting,  those  in  power  undertook  the  difficult 
task  of  restraining  him  as  to  time.  Brother  B.  was  se- 
lected as  the  best  man  to  approach  him  on  the  subject. 
He  performed  his  duty,  and  awaited  with  solicitude  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  z-xi 


o 


result.  From  the  manner  in  which  he  entered  the  pul- 
pit, all  in  the  secret  felt  that  the  job  had  not  been  a 
successful  one,  and  only  time  would  reveal  what  he 
would  do.  In  his  opening  prayer  he  told  the  Lord  of 
the  desire  of  his  brethren  for  brevity.  In  his  introduc- 
tory remarks  he  referred  at  greater  length  to  the  de- 
generacy of  the  times  in  his  own  characteristic  way, 
making  this  part  of  his  service  as  tedious  as  possible. 
Then,  after  spending  considerable  time  on  ''Firstly," 
he  said,  "  But  I  must  hasten,  or  I  will  not  be  brief,  as 
I  was  requested."  After  another  stretch,  "  Well,  real- 
ly, brethren,  this  is  a  very  interesting  part  of  my  sub- 
ject, and  if  I  were  only  as  religious  as  my  good  Broth- 
er B.,  I  would  shout  over  it,  and  pass  on  briefly."  And 
thus  he  went  on,  ever  and  anon  recurring  to  the  fact 
of  his  having  been  instructed  to  be  brief.  By  this 
time  all  of  the  preachers,  and  especially  Brother  B., 
were  becoming  nervous,  when,  turning  to  the  offend- 
ing brother,  to  the  amusement  of  everybody,  he   said: 

"  Brother  B.,  what  if  I  should  preach  till  sundown?  " 

Brother  B.  responded:  "That  would  be  very  un- 
fortunate indeed." 

"  Not  if  a  score  of  sinners  should  be  converted." 

"  That  is  not  at  all  probable." 

Again  the  preacher,  with  the  utmost  unconcern,  re- 
turned to  his  subject,  and  introduced  David's  visit  to 
his  brethren  on  the  battle-field,  and  his  desire  to  meet 
Goliath  in  single  combat,  and  closed  the  reference  with 
this  remark:  "His  older  brethren  rebuked  the  van- 
ity of  the  stripling  as  sharply  as  my  brother  here  re- 
buked me  a  moment  ag:o."  That  was  too  much  for 
Brother  B.  He  slipped  out  of  the  stand,  retired  from 
the  contest,  and   left  Clampit  master  of  the  situation. 


233  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

History  does  not  record  the  fact  of  his  ever  trying  to 
abridge  Clampit's  sermon  again. 

He  filled  three  appointments  in  the  Conference. 
The  first  year  he  was  sent  to  Visalia,  the  second  he  was 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  Marysville  District,  and  the  third 
he  was  stationed  in  Portland,  Oregon.  He  then  located 
at  his  own  request.  While  on  the  Marysville  Dis- 
trict he  crowned  his  eccentricities  by  marrying  an  Irish 
Catholic,  a  woman  in  no  sort  of  sympathy  with  his 
work  as  a  Methodist  preacher.  A  few  years  afterward 
he  died  in  Oregon.  On  his  death-bed  he  gave  all  his 
earthly  possessions,  amounting  to  $75,  to  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  making  Dr.  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  his  admin- 
istrator. 

At  this  Conference,  when  the  name  of  the  sainted  J. 
M.  Fulton  was  called,  A.  M.  Bailey,  the  Presiding  Eld- 
er of  the  San  Francisco  District,  "  amid  deep  and  sol- 
emn feeling,  announced  and  related  the  circumstances 
of  his  death."  We  felt  that  the  member  of  our  Con- 
ference who  stood  pre-eminently  near  to  God  had 
been  taken.  No  more  should  we  hear  his  sighs  for  the 
abominations  that  were  done  in  the  land.  No  more 
should  we  hear  his  reverend,  subdued  voice  reading 
resolutions  to  the  Conference  on  fasting  and  prayer. 
We  felt  that  one  of  the  rocks  by  which  our  Confer- 
ence was  anchored  to  the  throne  had  been  removed, 
and  though  we  often  smiled  at  his  solemnity,  yet  our 
eyes  filled  with  tears  as  we  looked  upon  the  seat  made 
vacant  by  his  removal.  Eternity  alone  will  reveal  the 
value  of  his  services  to  us  in  the  incipiency  of  our 
work. 

The  Pacific  Methodist  had  been  started  by  O.  Fish- 
er in   Stockton  during  the  past  year,  and  at  this  Con- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  233 

ference  it  was  determined  to  remove  it  to  San  Francis- 
co, and  0.  P.  Fitzgerald,  who  had  planned  the  enter- 
prise and  given  the  paper  its  name,  was  elected  Ed- 
itor, and  O.  Fisher,  who  was  appointed  Presiding  Eld- 
er of  the  San  Francisco  District,  was  elected  Corre- 
sponding Editor. 


234  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

|HE  eighth  session  of  the  Conference  was  held 
in   the    city   of  Stockton,   October    13-19,    1S5S. 

'£M  There  being  no  Bishop  present,  W.  R.  Gober 
was  elected  President  of  the  Conference. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  for  several  sessions,  includ- 
ing  this,  none  of  the  reports  or  statistics  of  the  Con- 
ference were  recorded  in  the  Minutes.  They  were 
"  placed  on  file,"  and  have  long  since  been  lost.  We 
are  compelled  to  rely  upon  memory  for  many  facts  in 
connection  with  this  period. 

This  session  of  the  Conference  was  one  of  much  in- 
terest. All  the  machinery  of  the  Church  was  in  full 
operation.  Preachers  and  people  had  settled  down  to 
the  fact  that  our  Church  was  no  longer  an  experiment 
in  California — that  there  was  an  imperative  necessity 
for  our  existence,  and  that  we  would  be  recreant  to  the 
trust  committed  to  our  hands  if  we  were  to  halt  or  hes- 
itate. Wherever  we  had  labored  God  had  been  with 
us,  blessing  the  work  of  our  hands  in  the  salvation  of 
souls,  in  the  recovery  of  the  backslidden,  and  in  the 
strengthening  of  the  walls  of  Zion.  The  people  had 
come  to  our  help  in  the  building  of  churches  and  par- 
sonages, and  had  cheerfully  and  liberally  supported  our 
ministers.  With  wonderful  unanimity  the  preachers 
had  held  themselves  closely  to  the  one  work  of  preach- 
ing the  gospel  without  foreign  admixture. 

The  reports  of  camp-meetings  and  revival-meetings 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  235 

were  very  cheering.  A  camp- meeting  had  been  held 
on  the  Tuolumne  River  that  in  many  respects  was  re- 
markable. 

Family  feuds  had  prevailed  to  an  alarming  extent  in 
the  valley.  Several  parties  had  been  killed  in  these 
difficulties.  Infidelity,  with  brazen  effrontery,  had 
achieved  a  triumph  here  that  led  those  who  had  cast 
off  the  restraints  of  religion  to  become  more  bold 
in  their  attacks  upon  the  doctrines  of  Christianity. 
Through  the  year  our  preacher  on  this  circuit  had  la- 
bored without  apparent  fruit.  He  determined  to  hold 
a  camp-meeting.  When  the  time  appointed  came,  he 
found  himself  almost  alone.  A  few  came  out  and 
helped  him  prepare  the  ground.  When  the  presiding 
elder — R.  W.  Bigham — J.  C.  Simmons,  T.  C.  Barton, 
Iry  Taylor,  and  others,  arrived  on  the  ground  the  even- 
ing the  meeting  was  to  commence,  they  found  a  simple 
stand  erected  under  some  large  trees,  a  preachers'1  tent 
just  back  of  this  stand,  and  only  two  or  three  small 
tents  adjoining.  Under  a  large  oak  the  preacher  in 
charge  was  seen  at  a  stove  preparing  a  supper  for 
preachers  and  people.  He  was  doing  the  cooking 
himself.  Other  willing  hands  were  soon  found  among: 
his  brother  ministers  to  help  him  in  his  work.  That 
night  the  services  began.  At  each  service  the  crowd 
grew  larger.  But  an  effort  at  revival  seemed  like  strik- 
ing with  a  hammer  upon  adamant.  The  preachers 
talked  of  the  condition  of  affairs,  and  held  earnest 
prayer-meetings  in  secret,  pleading  with  God  for  help. 
On  Sunday  at  11  o'clock  R.  W.  Bigham  preached  from 
Isaiah  i.  2-4,  in  which  he  brought  out  the  awful  sin  of 
rebellion,  and  the  ingratitude  and  folly  of  not  heeding 
the  dealings  of  God  with  them.     He  drew  picture  after 


236  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

picture  of  the  corrupters  and  evil-doers  of  that  da3r, 
who  had  gone  away  backward.  His  sermon  produced 
a  profound  impression.  At  3  o'clock  J.  C.  Simmons 
followed  with  a  sermon  from  Ezekiel  ix.  5-7,  in  which 
he  portrayed  the  wickedness  and  abominations  that 
were  done  in  the  land.  As  he  preached  his  soul  caught 
on  fire,  and  he  poured  forth  a  torrent  of  denunciation 
against  the  crimes  that  were  being  enacted  in  that  val- 
ley. These  men  preached  as  having  authority,  and  the 
people  trembled  under  their  word.  One  of  the  prom- 
inent citizens,  and  an  actor  in  the  scenes  that  had  been 
a  blot  upon  the  fair  valley,  said  of  these  sermons:  "If 
those  men  had  told  one  thing  more  they  would  have 
told  every  mean  thing  that  was  ever  done  in  the  val- 
ley." That  night  a  number  of  penitents  came  to  the 
altar — the  first  sign  of  revival  we  had  seen  during  the 
meeting.  One,  and  only  one  soul  (J.  J.  Bruno w),  as 
far  as  we  know,  was  converted  during  the  meeting. 
But  the  effect  upon  the  community  was  seen  for  many 
years.  It  prepared  the  way  for  a  moral  renovation. 
J.  J.  Brunow,  the  man  who  was  converted  at  this  meet- 
ing, was  a  German.  He  became  a  preacher,  joined  the 
Pacific  Conference,  and  was  immediately  transferred 
to  the  Texas  Conference,  engaged  in  work  among  the 
Germans  in  that  State,  and  proved  a  most  zealous,  use- 
ful man. 

Another  camp-meeting,  in  Cathey's  Valley,  near  the 
town  of  Mariposa,  was  also  a  remarkable  occasion. 
Soon  after  the  meeting  began  the  altar  was  crowded 
with  penitents,  and  in  a  few  days  the  work  became  so 
deep  and  powerful  that  there  could  be  no  regularity  of 
service.  At  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night  penitents 
were  bowing  and  calling  for  mercy.     Sometimes  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  237 

people  hardly  had  time  to  eat,  so  urgent  was  the  work. 
Out  in  the  grove,  in  the  tents,  under  the  trees,  on  the 
encampment,  little  groups  might  be  seen  at  any  time 
praying  for  and  talking  to  mourners.  And  glad  shouts 
of  the  saved  were  heard  on  all  sides.  Very  little  resr- 
ular  preaching  was  required,  or  done,  after  the  first  few 
days  of  the  meeting. 

In  Stockton,  under  the  ministry  of  O.  Fisher,  the 
most  gracious  revivals  had  followed  his  labors.  He 
held  a  camp  -  meeting  in  the  fall  at  French  Camp, 
where  the  displays  of  the  divine  power  were  wonder- 
ful. Untiring  in  his  labors,  Father  Fisher  preached 
with  great  unction  and  success.  Those  who  saw  and 
heard  him  at  this  meeting  think  that  he  here  surpassed 
any  work  of  his  life.  The  fruits  of  this  revival  are 
still  found  in  many  other  parts  of  the  State. 

About  the  same  time  R.  C.  Martin  and  Samuel 
Brown,  two  young  preachers,  held  a  camp-meeting 
near  Liberty,  on  Dry  Creek,  in  San  Joaquin  County. 
The  whole  community  was  brought  under  the  influence 
of  this  meeting.  About  50  souls  were  converted  and 
brought  into  the  Church. 

A  certain  Campbellite  Christian  preacher,  who  was 
present  at  the  meeting  and  heard  the  preaching  and 
saw  the  work  of  these  young  men,  became  greatly  ex- 
ercised. He  wanted  a  hearing.  He  talked  here  and 
there  as  he  could  get  listeners,  to  the  no  small  annoy- 
ance of  our  preachers.  At  last  he  went  so  far  as  to 
offer  a  horse  to  Martin  if  he  would  give  him  an  hour 
on  Sunday.  Martin  with  his  keen  little  black  eye 
looked  him  full  in  the  face,  and  said:  "Now,  look 
here.  If  you  don't  keep  quiet  and  behave  yourself  I'll 
have  you  arrested   and   put    in  the   county  jail  before 


238  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

night."  This  settled  him,  and  he  interfered  with  the 
work  of  God  no  more  during  that  meeting. 

On  the  camp-ground  a  subscription  was  started  to 
build  a  church,  which  was  completed  that  fall,  near 
Scott's  Bridge,  on  Dry  Creek.  A  few  years  afterward 
it  was  moved  to  Elliot,  and  is  still  used  as  a  house  of 
"worship.  L-Os_ 

In  the  spring  of  1858  a  most  gracious  work  of  God 
commenced  on  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit.  J.  Gruwell 
was  preacher  in  charge.  The  meeting  was  conducted 
in  a  little  school-house  some  three  miles  north  of  San 
Jose.  This  meeting  was  held  night  after  night  for  sev- 
eral weeks.  J.  Gruwell  was  assisted  by  J.  C.  Simmons, 
then  stationed  in  San  Jose.  So  deep  and  wide-spread 
was  the  interest  that  it  was  determined  to  hold  a  camp- 
meeting  in  the  neighborhood  in  May.  Accordingly, 
arrangements  were  made,  and  the  meeting  held.  Quite 
a  number  of  the  preachers  of  the  Conference  were 
present.  O.  Fisher  was  the  presiding  elder.  O.  P. 
Fitzgerald,  A.  M.  Bailey,  W.  R.  Gober,  T.  C.  Barton, 
J.  C.  Simmons,  and  others,  were  at  the  meeting  nearly 
or  quite  all  the  time.  Day  and  night  the  altar  was 
crowded  with  anxious  penitents,  and  the  work  went 
on  until  over  100  souls  were  happily  converted  to  God. 
Ninety-eight  united  with  our  Church  at  the  meeting. 
One  remarkable  feature  of  the  meeting  was  that  men 
would  get  under  conviction  at  their  homes  before  vis- 
iting the  grounds  at  all — would  come  and  be  converted. 
As  these  men  would  relate  their  experience,  and  tell 
of  their  restlessness,  and  then  of  the  providences  that 
led  them  to  the  meeting,  and  of  their  happy  deliver- 
ance from  sin,  all  hearts  would  be  moved  and  im- 
pressed.    One   admirable   feature  of  California  camp- 


'On  the  Pacific  Coast.  239 

./H  p. :  ■ 

meetings  is  to  hold  an  experience-meeting  each  morn- 
ing of  the  meeting  at  about  9  o'clock.  Here  not  only 
the  members  of  the  Church  have  the  opportunity  to 
speak,  but  the  new  converts,  and  even  the  penitents. 
They  in  the  fullness  of  their  hearts  tell  of  the  peculiar 
conflicts,  temptations,  and  experiences  through  which 
they  are  passing,  or  have  passed,  and  thus  furnish  the 
preachers  with  facts  that  are  invaluable  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  their  work.  Not  only  so,  but  the  new  converts 
are  strengthened  in  their  faith,  and  learn  the  language 
of  Zion. 

It  was  during  this  meeting  at  Berryessa  that  the  voice 
of  J.  Gruwell  manifested  its  marvelous  power.  No 
man  ever  connected  with  our  Conference  has  had  such 
a  voice  as  he.  It  was  loud  and  strong,  but  musical. 
After  a  sermon  by  another,  he  rose  to  deliver  an  ex- 
hortation. His  voice  swelled  louder  and  louder  until 
it  evidently  reached  its  maximum.  It  rolled  and  re- 
verberated among  the  trees  like  the  thrilling  tones  of  a 
trumpet.  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  who,  during  this  meeting 
especially,  had  labored  with  his  voice,  sometimes  find- 
ing it  fail  him  just  as  he  needed  it  most,  listened  at  the 
lion-like  roar  of  this  "son  of  thunder,"  when  he  was 
heard  to  exclaim,  "  I  would  give  my  right  arm  to  have 
such  a  voice  as  that!"  The  following  day  a  gentleman 
who  lived  four  miles  down  the  valley  came  to  the 
ground  and  told  us  that  he  heard  Brother  Gru well's 
voice  at  his  house. 

Perhaps  no  State  in  the  Union  has  a  climate  better 
adapted  to  the  holding  of  camp-meetings  than  that  of 
California.  Qui*  long  rainless  seasons  enable  us  to 
occupy  even  brush  tents,  or  booths,  if  we  desire.  No 
shingled  arbors,  such  as  were  necessary  at  the  East,  are 


240  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

required    here.      These    meetings    have    been    greatly 
blessed  of  God,  especially  in  our  earlier  history. 

Joseph  Emory,  Martin  Gier,  Benjamin  C.  Howard,  J. 
Milton  Ward,  David  M.  Rice,  William  M.  Culp,  Thos. 
Brown,  C.  C.  Snell,  and  T.  O.  Ellis  were  admitted  on 
trial,  and  C.  H.  E.  Newton,  local  elder,  formerly  of  the 
Alabama  Conference,  M.  W.  Glover,  of  the  St.  Louis 
Conference,  and  S.  W.  Davies,  of  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence, were  re-admitted  at  this  session. 

Joseph  Emery  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  He  came 
to  California  while  quite  a  youth.  He  was  a  diligent, 
devoted  young  Christian,  who,  when  he  felt  it  his  duty 
to  preach,  commenced  at  once  a  thorough  course  of 
study.  He  was  thoroughly  consecrated  to  the  work  of 
the  Christian  ministry.  His  first  appointment  was  one 
well  calculated  to  try  his  metal.  He  was  on  the  Red- 
woods Circuit,  embracing  a  section  of  country  lying 
west  of  Santa  Clara  Valley — reaching,  in  fact,  from 
the  valley  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Most  of  it  was  new 
work  and  very  difficult.  But  he  was  faithful  in  all 
that  was  required  of  him.  He  rose  rapidly,  and  soon 
filled  some  of  the  most  important  appointments  in  the 
Conference.  After  working  with  us  for  some  nine  or 
ten  years  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  in 
Corvallis  College,  Oregon,  a  position  he  has  filled  with 
honor  to  himself  and  the  Church  to  the  present. 

Martin  Gier  remained  with  us  only  two  years,  when 
he  was  discontinued,  at  his  own  request. 

W.  M.  Culp  was  born  in  Barren  County,  Kentucky, 
December  ^,  1831;  lived  for  a  time  in  Missouri,  and 
came  to  California  in  1854.  He  was  converted  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  and  was  ever  a  consistent,  happy 
Christian.     He  was  licensed  to   preach    in    1S57,   and 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  241 

joined  the  Pacific  Conference  the  following  year. 
After  preaching  two  years  in  California  he  went  with 
the  faithful  little  band  that  planted  Southern  Method- 
ism in  Oregon.  He  was  stationed  in  Corvallis,  where 
he  did  good  service.  But  he  found  the  climate  too 
damp  and  rigorous  for  his  frail  constitution,  and  re- 
turned to  California,  and  was  stationed  in  Grass  Val- 
ley. Here  he  married  Miss  Missouri  Wood,  who  still 
survives  him.  He  was  a  good  singer  and  diligent  pas- 
tor. Born  of  Methodist  parents  and  reared  in  the  lap 
of  the  Church,  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ  was 
life-long.  His  personal  religious  life  was  marked  by  a 
fervent  spirit,  and  his  deep  feeling  often  overflowed  in 
shouts  and  tears  of  holy  joy.  He  died  in  the  town  of 
Snelling,  March  11,  1870.  His  service  to  the  Church 
will  not  be  forgotten. 

Thomas  Brown  remained  in  the  work  but  a  short 
time. 

T.  O.  Ellis  had  been  a  practicing  physician.  He  was 
well  advanced  in  years  when  he  entered  the  Confer- 
ence. He  was  an  elder.  His  first  appointment  was 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  Los  Angeles  District.  Los  An- 
geles and  El  Monte  were  connected  with  his  appoint- 
ment. At  the  end  of  his  probation  he  was  discontin- 
ued, at  his  own  request. 

C.  C.  Snell  filled  three  appointments  while  on  trial 
in  the  Conference,  and  then  was  discontinued,  at  his 
own  request.  He  was  a  humble,  deeply  pious  man, 
and  was  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of  quite  a 
number  of  souls. 

P.  Strickland  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year. 

D.  M.  Rice  filled   two  appointments  in   California, 

16 


242  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

and  was  sent  to  Oregon,  where  he  labored  until  the 
organization  of  the  Columbia  Conference,  preaching 
six  years  before,  and  two  after,  that  Conference  was 
formed.  After  a  few  years  more  of  labor  in  the  Pa- 
cific Conference  he  located,  but  was  re-admitted  a  few 
years  ago,  and  is  laboring  zealously.  He  is  a  faithful, 
good  man,  ready  to  take  and  do  any  hard  work  if  the 
authorities  of  the  Church  lay  it  on  him. 

J.  Milton  Ward  was  born  September  9,  1833,  in  Cal- 
laway County,  Missouri.  He  was  converted,  and 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1849.  ^e  came  to  California  in  1S50,  cross- 
ing the  plains.  For  six  years  he  worked  in  the  mines, 
and  although  he  had  no  opportunity  to  unite  with  the 
Church  for  three  years,  yet  he  was  faithful  to  his  duties 
as  a  Christian,  and  enjoyed  much  of  the  love  of  God. 

He  was  licensed  to  exhort  May  11,  1858,  and  to 
jDreach  the  latter  part  of  that  year.  He  was  admitted 
on  trial  into  the  Pacific  Conference,  October,  1858.  In 
i860  he  organized  our  Church  in  .Shasta.  One  year  he 
served  as  College  Agent.  In  1S62-3  he  attended  school 
at  Pacific  Methodist  College,  the  better  to  fit  himself  for 
his  work  as  a  Methodist  preacher.  He  was  then  sent  as 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  Jacksonville  District,  Oregon. 
He  remained  but  twoyears  in  Oregon,  when  he  returned 
to  California.  In  1S67  he  organized  the  Watsonville 
and  Salinas  Circuit.  In  1S74  he  had  a  severe  spell  of 
congestion  of  the  lungs,  and  was  disabled  and  on  the 
supernumerary  list  for  six  years.  But  he  is  now  effect- 
ive, and  is  doing  full  work.  He  is  a  man  of  deep  piety 
and  sterling  worth,  willing  to  do  any  work  that  may 
be  assigned  him. 

B.  C.   Howard  was  born  in   Newton  County,  Geor- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  243 

gia,  April  5,  1813;  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Kentucky 
in  the  year  1S40,  and  came  to  California  in  1S54.  In 
the  course  of  his  labors  in  the  Pacific  Conference  he 
has  been  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  State,  from  Shasta 
in  the  north  to  Visalia  in  the  south.  He  filled  appoint- 
ments regularly  from  the  year  of  his  admission  into 
the  Conference  to  the  year  1S74,  when  he  took  a  su- 
perannuated relation,  and  has  remained  in  this  relation 
until  now,  living  a  blameless,  quiet,  happy  life.  His 
faithful  wife  has  been  a  sharer  with  him  of  all  his  toils 
and  privations.  A  year  ago  they  celebrated  their  gold- 
en wedding,  gathering  their  children  and  their  chil- 
dren's children  about  them  on  this  memorable  occasion. 
He  still  feels  the  most  lively  interest  in  our  Church  on 
this  coast.  He  is  spending  the  evening  of  his  life  in 
the  town  of  Colusa,  preaching  as  often  as  opportunity 
offers,  ever  ready  to  second  the  preacher  in  charge  in 
any  work  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  in  whose  service  he  has  spent  a  long  and  happy 
life.  He  says,  in  reviewing  the  labors  of  his  life:  "God 
has  greatly  blessed  me  in  my  feeble  efforts  to  preach." 
Only  when  the  angel  reapers  have  garnered  the  sheaves 
of  life's  harvest,  shall  it  be  known  how  many  precious 
souls  have  been  brought  to  Christ  through  the  labors 
of  this  faithful  servant. 

M.  W.  Glover,  who  was  re-admitted,  had  formerly 
been  a  member  of  the  St.  Louis  Conference.  He  came 
to  Caifornia  in  an  early  day  and  engaged  in  mining,  but 
was  always  earnest  in  his  interest  in  the  success  and 
prosperity  of  our  Church.  At  times  he  succeeded  very 
well  in  his  mining  operations.  He  attended  the  Con- 
ference which  met  in  San  Jose  in  1857.  Bascom  In- 
stitute was    then    enjoying    its   most    prosperous  days. 


244  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Several  artesian  wells  had  been  sunk  in  the  valley,  and 
it  was  desired  to  have  one  on  the  grounds  of  the  Insti- 
tute. A  subscription  was  started  among  the  preachers 
to  raise  $250  with  which  to  sink  a  well.  The  preach- 
ers were  responding  in  their  usually  liberal  and  prompt 
manner,  when  Brother  Glover,  then  a  local  preacher, 
rose  and  said  he  would  pay  one-half  of  the  amount  in 
behalf  of  the  mines,  if  the  valleys  would  raise  the  re- 
mainder. A.  M.  Bailey  at  once  accepted  the  proposi- 
tion, and  the  Conference,  by  formal  motion,  thanked 
these  two  brethren  for  what  they  had  done.  M.  W. 
Glover  paid  his  half  out  of  his  own  pocket.  This 
showed  the  spirit  and  the  liberality  of  the  man.  He 
remained  in  the  Pacific  Conference,  doing  faithful  work, 
till  the  year  1870,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Los 
Angeles  Conference. 

C.  H.  E.  Newton,  a  local  elder,  was  re-admitted  on  a 
certificate  of  location  from,  the  Alabama  Conference. 
He  was  in  many  respects  the  most  peculiar  of  men. 
He  wore  his  beard  and  hair  very  long — in  fact,  as  long 
as  they  would  grow,  for  neither  was  ever  trimmed. 
He  loved  the  miner's  loose  dress,  and  would  never 
change  his  blue  or  gray  shirt  for  the  starched  linen.  He 
wore  no  necktie,  and  usually  left  the  top  button  of  his  shirt 
unfastened.  He  was  tall,  and  had  a  strange  look  about  the 
eyes  and  an  eccentricity  of  movement  that  would  al- 
most lead  one  to  think  the  strain  of  but  a  little  more  ex- 
citement, and  the  chords  that  bound  him  to  reason 
would  snap,  and  he  become  a  maniac.  He  evidently 
studied  to  be  thought  eccentric.  While  some  natures 
may  manifest  eccentricities  more  than  others,  yet  the 
habit  is  a  cultivated  one.  He  was  a  great  student  and 
reader,  and  had  an  instinct  for  rare  books — knew  where 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  245 

to  find  them,  and  how  to  analyze  and  treasure  up  their 
best  thoughts.  He  was  a  living  encyclopedia.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  subject  about  which  he  knew  nothing, 
and  his  readiness  to  communicate  was  as  marvelous  as 
his  fund  of  knowledge.  Some  of  his  sermons  were 
marvels  of  theological  research  and  knowledge,  and  his 
entrance  upon  any  exposition  was  almost  always  new 
and  startling.  He  sought  to  arrest  attention  at  once, 
and  but  seldom  failed.  Upon  one  occasion  he  was  to 
preach  at  a  camp-meeting.  After  the  usual  preliminary 
service,  which  was  made  as  unusual  as  possible,  he 
sprang  from  his  seat  in  the  stand,  rushed  to  the  book- 
board,  leaned  over  until  his  long,  yellow  beard  hung  at 
right  angles  from  his  long,  brown  neck,  gazed  with  a 
sort  of  wild,  maniacal  stare  at  the  congregation  for  a 
few  moments,  then  shouted:  "  Old  man,  where  is  your 
text?"  Pausing  for  a  few  moments  more,  he  threw 
his  body  as  far  back  as  he  had  bent  forward,  and  bring- 
ing his  hand  down  on  the  Bible  as  if  he  would  drive  it 
through  the  board  on  which  it  lay,  said:  "  In  that  book!  " 
Another  pause.  Then  turning  his  gaze  rapidly  from  one 
side  of  the  congregation  to  the  other,  he  asked:  "  What 
is  it? "  and  answering  his  own  question  quickly,  he 
shouted:  "  It's  a  lie!  "  The  titter  that  rippled  for  a  mo- 
ment through  the  congregation  was  awed  into  silence 
by  the  indescribable  earnestness  of  the  speaker.  He 
continued:  "  I  thought  that  the  Bible  was  a  book  of 
truth,  and  you  say  you've  found  a  lie  in  it;  yes,  and  a 
big  one."  For  perhaps  ten  minutes  he  talked  of  his 
text  before  he  announced  it.  At  last  opening  the  hith- 
erto closed  book,  he  turned  to  Malachi  iii.  14,  and  read, 
"  Ye  have  said  it  is  a  vain  thing  to  serve  God,"  and  then 
he  began  one  of  the  most  masterly  vindications  of  re- 


246  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ligion  and  the  service  of  God  we  had  ever  heard.  lie 
showed  his  perfect  familiarity  with  all  the  leading  infidel 
writers  as  well  as  the  master-minds  in  theology.  He 
tore  asunder  the  specious  arguments  of  infidels,  and 
held  them  up  before  his  audience  in  such  a  light  that 
they  pitied  them  in  their  folly.  Then  in  turn  he  showed 
the  grand  advantages  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  for  the 
life  that  now  is,  and  then  of  that  which  is  to  come. 
Never  for  a  moment  did  he  lose  the  fervor  of  the  deep 
earnestness  that  fired  his  soul  at  the  beginning. 

He  was  present  at  one  amongst  if  not  the  first  camp- 
meeting:  ever  held  in  the  State.  It  was  held  in  Au- 
gust,  1 85 2,  just  across  Deer  Creek  from  the  city  of  Ne- 
vada. It  was  a  camp-meeting  planned  and  conducted 
by  J.  F.  Blythe,  then  stationed  in  Nevada  City,  and  J. 
C.  Simmons,  stationed  in  Grass  Valley.  The  ground 
was  chosen  on  a  little  flat,  all  dug  and  torn  up  by  the 
miners,  known  as  Gold  Run.  There  were  two  or  three 
deserted  miners'  cabins  under  some  tall  pine  and  arbor- 
vitas  trees.  Here  a  brush  arbor  was  built.  An  old 
Negro  woman  was  hired  to  attend  the  table  and  wash 
dishes.  Blythe,  Simmons,  Newton,  and  one  or  two  oth- 
ers did  the  cooking,  such  as  it  was.  They  also  did  the 
preaching.  Fair  congregations  were  out  in  the  day- 
time, while  at  night  and  on  Sunday  large  numbers  of 
the  miners  attended.  The  most  respectful  attention  was 
given  to  all  the  services,  and  quite  a  number  of  peni- 
tents came  forward  from  time  to  time  for  prayers. 
There  was  but  one  clear  conversion  that  we  knew  of, 
although  much  good  otherwise  was  effected.  The  one 
who  was  converted  was  at  the  altar  several  days.  He 
seemed  in  despair.  Nothing  that  could  be  said  to  him 
seemed  to  have  the  least  effect  in  comforting-  him.     He 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  247 

said  there  was  no  mercy  for  him.  The  promises  were 
not  for  him.  At  last  Brother  Newton  undertook  his 
case.  He  sat  down  by  him  and  told  him  that  there  ivas 
no  mercy  for  him — that  he  had  been  such  a  sinner  that 
the  merits  of  Christ's  blood  could  not  reach  his  case, 
and  that  he  had  just  as  well  make  up  his  mind  to  be 
damned.  He  did  this  in  such  an  earnest  manner  that 
the  man  was  startled,  and  began  to  take  the  other  side. 
Newton  saw  the  effect,  and  skillfully  drove  him  to  the 
cross,  and  the  man  was  saved. 

It  was  at  this  camp-meeting  that  he  preached  his  cel- 
ebrated "gee-bug"  sermon,  illustrating  the  growth  of 
faith.  He  told  of  a  certain  nobleman  that  was  con- 
fined in  an  immense  tower,  incarcerated  for  life.  His 
friends  on  the  outside  planned  for  his  rescue.  They 
could  see  him  from  day  to  day  at  a  window  high  up  in 
the  tower.  Procuring  a  gee-bug  (of  the  beetle  spe- 
cies) that  was  remarkably  fond  of  butter,  and  that 
would  follow  the  scent  of  it  anywhere,  they  tied  an  ex- 
ceedingly fine  thread  of  silk  to  it,  and  then  by  an  in- 
genious arrangement  suspended  a  small  lump  of  butter 
just  before  i^  by  tying  a  straw  to  its  back.  They  then 
placed  the  bug  on  the  base  of  the  tower  with  its  head 
pointing  directly  to  the  window  above.  The  bug 
smelled  the  butter  and  started  for  it,  dragging  the 
thread.  Higher  and  higher  it  ascended,  watched  with 
the  most  intense  interest  by  the  waiting  friends  below 
until  it  was  a  mere  speck  on  the  granite  wall,  and  then 
they  could  see  it  no  more.  But  they  knew  it  was  still 
climbing  by  the  thread  slowly  paying  out.  At  last  it 
reached  the  window-sill,  passed  over,  still  following  the 
scent  of  the  butter,  until  it  was  discovered  by  the  lone 
prisoner.     He  took   hold  of  the  frail  thread,  perceived 


248  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

what  it  meant,  and  began   drawing  it  in   to  him.     To 
this  silk   thread  was    attached  one  a  little  larger  and 
stronger,  and  as  the  prisoner  pulled  it  in   to   him  his 
friends  below  attached  other  and  stronger  threads  until 
at  last  a  small  rope  was  taken  up,  then  a  larger  one, 
until  at  last  one  was  drawn  up  of  sufficient  strength  to 
bear  the   prisoner's  weight;  and  when   the  shades   of 
night  fell,  fastening  the  rope  on  the  inside  of  his  cell, 
he  let  himself  down,  and   was  free.     The  description 
was  so  life-like  and  graphic,  as  he  went  on  and  on  with 
its  presentation,  that  one  could  feel  his  faith  strength- 
ening as  he  listened.     He  was  an  exceedingly  ingenious 
mechanic — knew  how  to  work  in  iron,  wood,  and  pre- 
cious metals — while  his  knowledge  of  chemistry  was 
equal  to  that  of  a  professor.     He  could  make  money, 
and  yet  he  seemed  to  care  nothing  for  it.     When  he  en- 
tered the  Conference  he  walked  his  circuits.   He  seemed 
to  have  but  little  order  in  his  work.     He  would  appear 
on  any  part  of  his  circuit, '  and  startle  the  people  oft- 
times   by   the    most  powerful   and    eloquent    sermons. 
There  was  that  in  his  nature  that  enabled  him  to  throw 
his  whole  soul  into   a  thought  with  perfect  abandon. 
He  would  soar  fearlessly  where  other  men  would  not 
dare  to  fly.     The  very  giddiness  of  his  flights  seemed 
only  to  stimulate  him  to  more  recklessness  of  oratory. 
Had  he  been  well-balanced,  with  his  fund  of  knowl- 
edge and  his  power  over  the  human  heart,  there  is  no 
estimating  the  good  he  might  have  accomplished.     But 
as  it  was,  he   shot  like   a  meteor  across  the  heavens, 
commanding  attention,  and  then  was  gone,  leaving  only 
the  impression  of  something  wonderful,  of  something 
strange,  and  that  was  all. 

His  first  year,  after  joining  the  Conference,  was  in 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  249 

the  northern  mines  at  Dutch  Flat.  The  next  was  five 
hundred  miles  away  at  Los  Angeles  and  El  Monte. 
The  next  was  in  Salem,  Oregon.  For  four  years  he 
preached  within  the  bounds  of  the  State  of  Oregon, 
and  then  with  a  pack-horse  and  pony  he  set  out  for 
Idaho,  and  startled  the  miners  of  that  Territory  by  his 
wild  movements  and  overwhelming  oratory.  He  was 
elected  to  the  General  Conference  of  1866,  and  set  off 
across  the  mountains  with  his  two  horses  and  camping 
outfit.  He  became  quite  feeble  in  health,  and  never  re- 
turned to  the  West. 

He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  though  he  lived 
long  in  Alabama;  and  when  his  health  failed,  he  re- 
turned to  the  White  Mountains  of  his  native  State  to 
end  life's  pilgrimage  where  it  was  begun.  He  still 
lives,  though  far  advanced  in  years. 


250  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   IX. 

HE  ninth  session  of  the  Conference  was  held  in 
San  Francisco,  September  28,  1S59,  Bishop  G. 
*  ~4M  F.  Pierce  presiding.  There  were  eighteen  appli- 
cations for  admission  on  trial  into  the  Conference,  all 
but  two  of  whom  were  admitted. 

Azariah  Martin,  from  the  Gilroy  Circuit,  traveled 
three  years  and  located.  He  labored  as  a  local  preach- 
er under  the  presiding  elder  for  several  years.  He  was 
a  faithful,  good,  and  true  man. 

L.  D.  Harris  came  with  a  recommendation  from  the 
San  Jose  and  Santa  Clara  Circuit,  and  for  eighteen  con- 
secutive years  he  took  work  and  filled  his  appointments 
to  the  best  of  his  ability.  He  then  took  a  supernumerary 
relation  to  the  Conference  on  account  of  his  health,  and 
has  sustained  that  relation  ever  since.  He  is  a  faithful 
man,  full  of  good  works,  and  has  the  interest  of  the 
Church  always  at  heart.  He  has  added  much  to  the 
material  interests  of  the  Conference.  He  has  ever  been 
bold  and  outspoken  against  sin.  An  episode  in  the  his- 
tory of  Brother  Hargis  will  illustrate  his  fearlessness, 
and  also  show  the  animus  of  parties  in  certain  quarters 
toward  our  Church,  and  the  efforts  made  to  involve  us 
in  difficulty.  In  the  year  1S61  he  was  stationed  in 
Stockton.  The  Civil  War  was  raging,  and  the  most  in- 
tense feeling  prevailed  on  all  sides.  A  plan  was  laid  to 
get  our  preacher  and  Church  into  difficulty,  and  on  the 
evening    of   the  third    of  July   a   young   German   met 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


2=U 


Brother  Hargis  at  the  conclusion  of  his  weekly  prayer- 
meeting,  and  asked  the  privilege  of  ringing  the  church- 
bell  at  midnight.  This  request  was  refused.  The  next 
morning,  soon  after  daylight,  Brother  Hargis  heard  the 
bell  tap.  He  sprang  over  the  parsonage  fence  (the 
parsonage  was  on  the  same  street  with  the  church,  and 
nearly  opposite),  and  rushed  across  the  street  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  ringing.  He  found  quite  a  crowd  gathered 
in  and  about  the  church -door,  and  two  men,  who  had 
effected  an  entrance  through  the  window,  ringing  the 
bell.  He  sprang  at  the  rope  above  their  hands,  and 
pulled  it  with  such  force  as  to  overturn  the  bell.  He 
then  hurled  one  of  the  men  back,  and  with  author- 
ity ordered  them  all  to  leave  the  church,  which  they  did 
in  short  order,  uttering  bitter  oaths  and  threats.  During 
the  day  the  excitement  increased.  Brother  Hargis  asked 
those  who  demanded  the  privilege,  if  they  intended  to 
ring  the  bell  on  the  Catholic  Church.  They  said,  "  By 
no  means."  The  whole  matter  was  aimed  at  us  because 
we  were  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.  Our  enemies  de- 
sired to  stir  the  people  against  us.  Threats  were  made 
that  at  sundown  the  bell  should  be  rung  at  all  hazards. 
In  the  meantime  Brother  Hargis  secured  a  written  or- 
der from  the  trustees  of  the  church  forbidding  the  ring- 
ing of  the  bell.  Armed  with  this,  he  proceeded  to  the 
parsonage.  He  had  also  appealed  to  the  sheriff  of  the 
county  for  protection,  and  had  the  assurance  from  that 
officer  that  the  bell  should  not  be  rung.  A  little  before 
sundown,  when  Brother  Hargis  reached  the  church,  he 
found  the  street  blocked  by  an  excited  mob  who  had 
drawn  up  a  cannon  in  front  of  the  church,  loaded 
with  old  iron,  with  which  they  swore  they  would 
blow   preacher  and   church  to  pi-eces  or  ring  the  bell. 


252  History  Of  Southern  Methodism 

An    entrance   had  again  been   effected  by  way  of  the 
window,    and    the    bell    began    to    ring.      As    before, 
Brother   Hargis    rushed   in    and   seized    the    rope,  and 
while  holding    it    with    One    hand,    he  read  the    order 
of  the  trustees.     Hon.  Thomas  Laspeyre,  a  member  of 
the    California    Legislature,  Judge   Charles   Campbell, 
District  Attorney  of  the  county,  a  young  lawyer  named 
Thomas  Caldwell,  and  other  prominent  citizens  were 
on  the  ground  ready  to  defend  the  church  against  the 
wanton  outrage  sought  to  be    perpetrated    against  it. 
Brother  Hargis  had  succeeded  in  clearing  the  church  once 
more,  while  the  mob  about  the  door  were  cursing,  and 
calling  for  the  firing  of  the  cannon.     Just  then   a  man 
mounted  the  cannon  and  commanded  silence,  while  he 
read  a  document,  purporting  to  have  emanated  from  the 
trustees,  giving   permission   to  ring  the  bell.     This  at 
once  disarmed  the  friends  of  the  church,  and  they  with- 
drew and  let  the  mob  have  its  way.     The   document 
was  a  forgery.     It  would  have  been  far  better,  no  doubt, 
to  have  yielded  at  once  to  the  demands  of  the  mob. 
No  principle  would  have  been  sacrificed,  and  our  con- 
cession would  have  disproved  their  charge  of  disloyalty. 
Opposition  only  gave  them  something  to  chafe  against. 
Since  Brother  Hargis  has  been  on  the  supernumerary 
list  he  has  been  struggling  to  support  a  growing  fami- 
ly.    In  battling  with  the  world  he   has  found   out  its 
hollowness  and  insincerity.     And  although  he  has  had 
some  sad  experiences,  he  says:  "Thank  God,  I  am  not 
in   the  least  soured  at  the   world.     It  is  just  like   the 
world;  that  is  the  way  it  has  always  been  doing.     A 
man  is  a  fool  that  expects  any  thing  better  of  it.     I  have 
learned  much  by  ranching — more  than  I  could  ever  have 
learned  by  preaching.     I  have  not  learned  theology,  but 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  253 

I  have  learned  something  of  human  nature.  I  do  not 
know  what  I  shall  do  for  the  future.  My  throat  has 
been  better  for  two  years,  but  the  doctor  says  I  have 
rheumatism  of  the  heart."  He  rejoices  at  the  good 
news  from  foreign  fields,  and  pants  to  be  again  in  the 
active  work. 

James  M.  Lovell  was  reared  mainly  in  Santa  Clara 
Valley  —  was  the  child  of  pious  parents.  He  filled 
eight  appointments  and  then  took  a  local  relation  for 
two  years,  was  re-admitted,  and  after  filling  two  more 
appointments  in  the  Pacific  Conference,  transferred  to 
the  Columbia  Conference,  and  was  stationed  in  Corval- 
lis.  He  remained  in  that  Conference  two  years  and  re- 
turned to  the  Pacific,  and  after  traveling  for  three  years, 
was  violently  thrown  from  his  buggy  while  on  the 
Healdsburg  Circuit,  as  he  was  preparing  to  attend  a 
quarterly-meeting,  and  received  such  an  injury  of  the 
head  as  to  incapacitate  him  from  preaching.  He  was 
put  upon  the  superannuated  list.  He  afterwards  lo- 
cated. 

John  J.  Brunow  was  an  educated  German  who  had 
been  converted  at  one  of  our  camp-meetings  on  the 
Tuolumne  River,  and  having  a  desire  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  his  own  people,  joined  the  Pacific  Conference 
on  trial,  and  was  transferred  to  the  Texas  Conference, 
where  there  was  an  opening  field  for  his  labors. 

Leander  Cately  came  to  California  for  his  health,  and 
after  remaining  here  awhile  he  felt  well  enough  to  take 
work,  and  was  recommended,  as  was  J.J.  Brunow,  from 
the  San  Francisco  Station.  He  was  deeply  pious,  and 
fully  consecrated  to  the  work  of  Gpd.  Frail  as  he  was, 
he  taxed  his  energies  to  their  full  power  in  the  service 
of  his  Master.     At  times,  when  preaching,  especially 


254  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

On  the  subject  of  holiness — a  theme  he  delighted  in — 
he  would  soar  beyond  himself,  and  with  an  eloquence 
born  of  the  Spirit  he  would  carry  his  audience  to  the 
heights  of  Beulah,  and  kindle  within  them  intense  de- 
sires to  live  always  as  God  would  have  them.  His  pow- 
er in  prayer  is  wonderful,  excelling  most  men  in  his 
earnest,  fervent  approaches  to  a  throne  of  grace.  He 
was  first  appointed  Agent  of  the  Branch  Book  De- 
pository, located  in  San  Francisco,  after  which  he 
preached  on  circuits  for  three  years  and  located.  In 
1870  he  was  re-admitted.  A  part  of  the  time  he  trav- 
eled, and  a  part  he  was  a  supernumerary  until  1874, 
when  he  again  located. 

J.  G.  Huff  was  recommended  from  the  Bodega  Circuit. 
He  remained  in  the  traveling  connection  some  six  years, 
and  located. 

George  E.  Dean,  recommended  from  the  San  Francisco 
Station,  continued  some  few  years  longer  in  the  work 
than  J.  G.  Huff.  He  was  not  very  efficient  as  a  preach- 
er, and  in  1870  he  was  located,  at  his  own  request. 

Columbus  Derrick  crossed  the  continent  in  the  stage 
with  Bishop  Pierce,  and  was  recommended  by  the  Bo- 
dega Quarterly  Conference.  He  was  never  admitted 
into  full  connection. 

R.  L.  Vann,  from  the  Sonoma  and  Napa  Circuit,  was 
also  discontinued  at  the  end  of  his  second  year. 

F.  M.  Staten,  recommended  by  the  Vacaville  and 
Putah  Circuit,  has  proved  one  of  our  most  faithful  men. 
He  was  born  in  Paducah,  Kentucky,  Nov.  20,  1838; 
moved  to  Missouri  while  yet  an  infant.  He  came  with 
his  parents  tp  California  in  1852,  and  settled  in  Solano 
County,  near  where  the  town  of  Elmira  now  stands. 
In  1856  he  entered  the  Ulatus  Seminary  at  Vacaville — 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  255 

the  institution  that  we  afterward  bought  and  converted 
into  Pacific  Methodist  College.  He  attended  this  school 
for  three  years;  was  the  first  secretary  of  Ulatus  Lit- 
erary Society,  still  connected  with  the  college. 

He  soon  came  under  the  influence  of  the  preachers 
of  our  Church,  and  at  a  protracted- meeting  held  near 
his  father's  house — at  which  there  were  over  30  con- 
versions— he  was  brought  to  Christ.  This  was  in 
18*57.  ^e  soon  felt  the  movings  of  God's  holy  Spirit 
calling  him  to  the  Christian  ministry.  But  he  kept 
these  impressions  a  profound  secret  until  J.  F.  Blythe, 
under  whose  ministry  he  had  been  converted,  ap- 
proached him  on  the  subject.  He  confessed  that  he  felt 
it  his  duty,  and  through  the  friendly  advice  of  his  pas- 
tor he  was  licensed  to  exhort.  In  1S59  he  was  licensed 
to  preach,  and  recommended  to  the  Annual  Conference. 

He  is  a  faithful  worker,  and  has  added  much  to  the 
material  interests  of  the  Conference.  He  built  a  church 
at  Linden  in  1873,  one  at  Gait  in  1S80,  and  one  on  the 
Yuba  City  Circuit  in  1SS4.  He  built  a  parsonage  at 
Sebastopol,  in  Sonoma  County,  and  during  his  pastor- 
ate at  Gait  he  moved  and  remodeled  the  parsonage  on 
that  circuit.  With  the  exception  of  one  year,  when  he 
located,  he  has  been  in  the  effective  ranks.  He  goes 
cheerfully  wherever  sent,  and  gives  his  whole  time  to 
the  work. 

A.  C.  Howlett  also  came  recommended  from  the  Va- 
caville  and  Putah  Circuit.  He  filled  two  appointments 
in  California,  and  was  then  sent  to  Oregon,  where  he 
labored  until  the  organization  of  the  Columbia  Confer- 
ence. 

W.  M.  Winters,  who  came  recommended  from  the 
Bear  River  Circuit,  was  born   in  Illinois  in   1826,  and 


256  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

went  to  Missouri  in  1840.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
with  Mexico;  came  to  California  in  1850.  He  was  con- 
verted, and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  under  the  ministry  of  A.  M.  Bailey;  was  licensed 
to  preach  in  1858.  He  was  sent  the  first  year  to  the 
circuit  that  recommended  him.  He  has  proved  a  faith- 
ful, conscientious  preacher.  He  has  the  happy  faculty 
of  securing  the  confidence  and  love  of  his  people. 
Every  work  to  which  he  is  sent  is  strengthened  and  en- 
larged. 

The  fourth  year  of  his  ministry  he  was  Agent  for 
Pacific  Methodist  College,  and  succeeded  next  to  J.  C. 
Stewart  in  that  peculiar  and  arduous  work.  He  has 
never  been  physically  strong,  and  this  has  been  much 
in  his  way,  especially  as  an  agent.  At  one  time,  when 
the  Pacific  Methodist — our  Conference  organ  —  was 
struggling  for  existence,  he  turned  out,  and  in  a  few 
months  secured  an  endowment  of  $10,000  for  it,  to  be 
paid  in  annual  installments  for  ten  years.  This  endow- 
ment fund  tided  the  paper  over  many  hard  places,  if  it 
did  not  more  than  once  save  its  life.  In  1863  he  located 
on  account  of  his  health,  was  re-admitted  in  1872,  and  is 
still  connected  with  the  Conference,  doing  good  work. 

L.  T.  Hawkins,  from  the  Clear  Lake  Circuit,  remained 
in  the  traveling  connection  but  four  years,  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  the  East. 

George  Sim  is  an  Englishman,  having  been  born  in 
the  city  of  Chester,  England,  in  1S28.  He  was  the  son 
of  a  Baptist  minister  who  was  pastor  of  the  same 
Church  for  twenty-five  years.  On  his  death  his  re- 
mains were  deposited  in  the  inclosure  of  the  church. 

At  the  tender  age  of  thirteen  George  went  to  sea,  en- 
during the  hardships  and  privations  of  a  sea-faring  life. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


257 


In  his  voyages  he  visited  ports  in  almost  all  parts  of  the 
world— the  East  India  ports  in  the  Mediterranean,  Bra- 
zil, Chili,  Peru,  and  other  points.  He  filled  various  of- 
fices, from  cabin-boy  to  chief  officer.  In  the  spring  of 
1S53  it  was  his  fortune  to  come  to  California.  He  was, 
like  the  great  majority  who  came  out  at  that  time,  in 
search  of  gold.  He  went  at  once  to  the  mines,  work- 
ing in  Mariposa,  Tuolumne,  and  Calaveras  Counties. 

In  September,  1858,  while  engaged  in  mining  on 
Mormon  Gulch,  in  Tuolumne  County,  his  company 
was  obliged  to  suspend  work  for  two  weeks,  on  ac- 
count of  a  lawsuit  with  a  rival  company.  In  the  prov- 
idence of  God  a  camp- meeting  was  in  progress  near 
Tuttletown,  under  the  direction  of  H.  N.  Compton  and 
M.  F.  Jones,  preachers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South.  To  this  camp-meeting  George  Sim 
was  led.  Conviction  seized  him,  and  he  was  led  to 
seek  and  find  the  pardon  of  his  sins  in  believing  on 
-  Jesus.  He  who  had  sailed  the  seas  over,  with  the 
world  between  him  and  the  home  of  his  childhood, 
here  in  this  land  of  sin  and  excitement  found  peace  at 
a  rude  camp-meeting  altar  in  the  mines. 

His  change  was  deep  and  thorough.  With  charac- 
teristic firmness  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  world  at 
the  call  of  God,  and  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry.  He  had  been  led  to  the  Saviour 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  ministers  of  our 
Church.  Kneeling  at  her  altars,  he  had  received  the 
evidence  of  pardon,  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  and  in 
her  communion  he  received  the  encouragement  and 
help  he  needed.  Examining  her  doctrines  and  polity, 
he  saw  that  the  former  were  in  accordance  with  the 
teachings  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  the  latter  in  harmony 

17 


2^8  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

with  apostolic  practice,  and  with  all  his  heart  he  em- 
braced them,  and  threw  himself  soul  and  body  with 
us.  And  after  an  intimate  acquaintance  of  twenty-five 
years  with  these  doctrines  and  the  rules  and  govern- 
ment of  the  Church,  the  conviction  of  their  righteous- 
ness has  strengthened. 

Six  months  after  his  conversion  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Sonora  Cir- 
cuit, in  June,  1S59,  J.  F.  Blythe  being  the  presiding  elder. 
He  was  ordained  deacon  and  elder  the  same  day  by 
Bishop  Kavanaugh,  in  May,  1864. 

He  has  been  useful  as  a  preacher  all  these  years,  suf- 
fering nothing  to  draw  his  mind  and  heart  from  the 
great  work  in  which  he  has  been  engaged.  The  oil 
which  he  bears  into  the  sanctuary  is  always  "  beaten 
oil."  He  is  a  close  student,  and  is  ever  careful  in  the 
preparation  of  his  sermons.  He  has  traveled  in  all 
parts  of  our  work,  filling  some  of  our  best  stations  and 
circuits.  Seven  years  of  the  time  he  has  been  presiding 
elder.  He  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  General  Con- 
ference held  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  was  appoint- 
ed a  delegate  to  the  Ecumenical  Conference  held  in 
London      This  Conference  he  could  not  attend. 

Though  of  late  years  he  has  been  called  to  pass 
through  deep  personal  affliction,  yet  he  has  held  to  his 
work,  and  after  weary  weeks  of  bodily  suffering,  God 
has  girded  him  to  the  conflict,  and  he  has  gone  forth 
in  his   ''loved  employ. " 

B.  W.  Taylor,  from  San  Bernardino  Circuit,  was  sent 
to  the  Coulterville  Circuit,  but  left  his  work  during  the 
year  and  entered  upon  an  educational  enterprise  in  Vi- 
salia.  At  the  ensuing  Conference  he  was  discontinued, 
at  his  own  request. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  259 

J.  W.  Leach  came  to  us  from  the  M.  E.  Church 
(North).  He  traveled  in  the  Pacific  Conference  thir- 
teen years,  being  presiding  elder  the  last  three,  when 
he  transferred  to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference.  Some 
few  years  ago  he  returned  to  the  communion  of  the  M. 
E.  Church. 

The  Church  in  all  parts  of  the  Conference,  except 
in  some  mining  regions,  was  moving  steadily  forward. 
The  surface  mines  in  many  localities  were  being  ex- 
hausted, and  towns  and  camps  that  were  at  one  time 
crowded  with  busy  multitudes  were  almost  deserted. 
Men  were  turning  their  thoughts  and  energies  in  other 
directions.  Multitudes  that  had  come  to  California  ex- 
pecting to  remain  but  a  few  years,  charmed  by  the  cli- 
mate, and  seeing  the  vast  resources  that  lay  in  her  fer- 
tile valleys  and  in  her  forest-crowned  mountains,  sent 
back  for  their  families,  and  made  their  arrangements  to 
abide  permanently  here.  To  meet  these  changes,  our 
preachers  had  to  follow  the  people  to  the  valleys,  where 
towns  and  cities  were  rapidly  increasing  in  number  and 
importance — where  rich  farms  were  coming  under  the 
cultivating  hand  of  the  husbandman.  Hence  old  cir- 
cuits were  abandoned,  and  new  ones  were  forming. 

The  statistics  of  the  Church  at  this  session  revealed 
the  fact  that  we  had  44  local  preachers;  2,83s  members 
and  probationers;  26  churches,  valued  at  $^7,7  =;o;  14 
parsonages,  valued  at  $8,350.  We  had  collected  for 
Foreign  Missions  during  the  year  $1,055.  We  had  33 
Sunday-schools  in  operation,  with  186  officers  and  teach- 
ers; 906  scholars;  5,815  volumes  in  our  Sunday-school 
libraries;  and  we  had  raised  and  expended  for  Sunday- 
school  purposes  during  the  year  $885.95;  and  35  con- 
versions were  reported  among  the  children. 


260  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Plans  were  adopted  at  this  Conference  for  the  inau- 
guration of  a  male  college.  The  Bascom  Institute,  at 
San  Jose,  was  for  the  education  of  females.  This  insti- 
tution had  been  leased  to  Mrs.  R.  C.  Hammond  for  a 
term  of  years.  But  at  this  time  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  make  arrangements  with  the  lessee  to  again 
resume  the  direct  control  and  management  of  the  school. 
The  failure  of  this  institution  in  subsequent  years,  and 
the  growth  of  Pacific  Methodist  College,  led  us  to  un- 
dertake the  co-education  of  the  sexes  in  the  latter.  This 
was  a  wise  arrangement,  and  has  worked  well  for  more 
than  twenty  years. 

During  this  session,  which  was  held  in  a  rented 
church  in  San  Francisco,  Bishop  Pierce  made  a  stirring 
appeal  for  a  subscription  to  build  a  church  of  our  own 
in  this  great  and  growing  city,  and  $2,410  was  sub- 
scribed on  the  Conference-floor — most  of  it  by  the 
preachers. 

Bishop  Pierce  spent  several  weeks  in  San  Francisco, 
preaching  daily,  to  the  great  edification  of  our  people. 
Durino-  the  progress  of  this  meeting  the  little  Pine- 
street  church,  in  which  we  worshiped,  was  full  to  over- 
flowing. The  Rev.  W.  A.  Scott,  D.D.,  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  came  and  offered  his  large  church-build- 
ing for  our  use,  inviting  the  Bishop  and  congregation 
to  transfer  their  meetings  there.  But  the  magnani- 
mous, unambitious  Bishop  respectfully  declined,  giving 
as  a  reason  that  whatever  of  influence  he  had  he  want- 
ed to  give  to  our  own  Church  and  congregation,  No- 
where else  in  California  did  he  preach  withsuch  power 
and  effect  as  at  this  time.  Up  to  the  time  of  this  visit 
on  the  part  of  Bishop  Pierce  he  had  not  given  a  very 
hearty  support  to  our  Church  on   this   coast.     He  had 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  261 

his  doubts  about  the  propriety  of  the  movement,  and 
the  success  of  the  enterprise.  He  did  not  know  that 
the  expenditure  of  money  and  labor  necessary  to  carry 
on  the  work  here  would  bring  an  adequate  return  to 
the  Church,  or  conduce  to  the  glory  of  God.  But 
when  he  came  and  mingled  with  the  people,  and  saw 
for  himself,  he  became  fully  satisfied  that  the  whole 
thing  was  of  God,  and  it  ever  afterward  had  his  most 
hearty  co-operation  and  support.  The  reports  of  gra- 
cious revivals  with  which  God  had  honored  our  minis- 
try, that  came  in  from  all  quarters;  the  growth  of  the 
material  interests  of  the  Church;  the  full-fledged  Con- 
ference  of  devoted  ministers  over  which  he  was  -called 
to  preside;  the  long  line  of  candidates,  most  of  them 
converted  and  licensed  to  preach  in  our  midst,  that 
stood  before  him  applying  for  admission  into  the  trav- 
eling connection — were  overwhelming  in  their  influ- 
ence, and  sent  conviction  home  to  his  heart  in  a  way 
that  enlisted  him  fully  and  finally  in  our  behalf. 

We  sent  out  61  preachers  to  different  circuits  and  sta- 
tions this  year,  beside  employing  several  local  preach- 
ers as  supplies. 

O.  Fisher  had  been  on  a  prospecting  tour  to  Oregon 
the  previous  year,  and  an  Oregon  District  was  organ- 
ized, of  which  he  was  made  Presiding  Elder.  The 
same  want  of  a  non-political  Church  and  ministry  was 
demanded  in  that  State  as  in  California.  Many  people, 
both  from  the  North  and  the  South,  had  grown  sick  of 
having  the  pulpit  converted  into  a  platform,  and  of  hav- 
ing their  political  views  assailed  from  the  sacred  desk 
by  those  who  professed  to  be  called  to  feed  the  flock  of 
Christ.  Hence  when  this  devoted  little  band  com- 
menced  their  labors   there,   they  were  hailed    with  de- 


262  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

light  by  some,  and  scowled  upon  and  maligned  by  oth- 
ers. 

At  this  Conference  M.  Evans  presented  a  form  for 
the  uniform  reception  of  members  into  full  connection. 
It  was  referred  to  a  committee,  consisting  of  M.  Evans, 
J.  C.  Simmons,  and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  with  directions  to 
revise  and  print  for  the  use  of  the  Conference.  So  it 
will  be  seen  that  our  young  Conference,  the  youngest 
of  the  Church,  adopted  a  form  for  the  reception  of 
members  before  the  General  Conference  adopted  the 
form  that  now  finds  a  place  in  the  Discipline. 

Five  transfers  came  to  us  at  this  Conference — John 
C.  Kolbe,  John  W.  Simmons,  David  W.  Epps,  N.  B. 
Peterson,  and  J.  L.  Burchard. 

J.  C.  Kolbe  was  of  German  descent.  He  was  in  fee- 
ble health.  The  first  year  he  was  sent  to  Oregon,  and 
stationed  at  Independence.  The  next  year  he  returned  to 
California,  the  climate  of  Oregon  being  too  rigorous  for 
him,  and  was  appointed  to  Bear  River  Circuit;  but  find- 
ing that  he  was  unable  to  do  the  work  of  a  traveling 
preacher,  he  located.  He  was  a  man  of  great  faith  and 
zeal,  though  somewhat  peculiar  in  his  views  and  man- 
ner.    He  died  soon  after  his  location  in  great  triumph. 

J.  W.  Simmons  came  in  company  with  Bishop  Pierce 
across  the  continent  in  the  overland  stage.  He  had  just 
graduated  at  Emory  College,  in  Georgia,  in  the  class  with 
Young  J.  Allen,  our  missionary  to  China.  He,  too,  had 
caught  the  missionary  spirit  that  prevailed  to  so  large  an 
extent  at  Emory  College,  but  had  turned  his  thoughts  to 
California,  although  he  frequently,  while  here,  thought 
and  talked  of  some  foreign  field.  He  filled  four  ap- 
pointments within  the  bounds  of  our  State,  and  then 
when  the  Washoe  mining  excitement  arose,  and  thou- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  263 

sands  of  Californians  went  drifting  over  into  Nevada 
Territory,  a  call  was  made  to  our  Church  to  send  preach- 
ers there,  and  at  the  Conference  of  1S63  lie,  with  Mor- 
ris Evans  and  A.  P.  Anderson,  with  J.  Gruwell  as 
presiding  elder,  was  sent  to  that  new  field.  But  the 
venture  did  not  prove  a  successful  one.  The  "  Washoe 
District "  appears  but  the  one  time  on  the  records  of 
the  Conference. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  becoming  deeply 
interested  in  the  fortunes  of  the  South,  he  located,  and 
in  the  winter  of  1S64-5  ne  mac^e  n^s  way  to  Mazatlan, 
in  Mexico,  and  mounting  a  mule,  rode  across  the  conti- 
nent to  Jackson,  Mississippi,  reaching  there  just  in  time 
to  hear  the  last  guns  and  see  the  star  of  the  Confeder- 
acy set.  He  immediately  joined  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence, and  has  labored  ever  since  in  that  State.  He  is 
now  a  member  of  the  South  Georgia  Conference,  but 
bias  ever  had  a  love  for  California,  and  talks  frequently 
of  coming  out  and  ending  his  days  on  our  golden 
shores.     He  has  been  very  useful  in  his  native  State. 

D.  W.  Epps  wras  in  bad  health  when  he  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia. Like  many  others,  when  he  felt  the  hand  of 
disease  bearing  heavily  upon  him,  he  hoped  that  a 
change  of  climate  would  restore  him.  But  in  the  midst 
of  his  first  year  he  gave  way,  and  gathered  up  his  feet 
in  death.  He  labored  to  the  last,  however.  At  a 
camp-meeting  in  San  Ramon  Valley,  just  before  his 
death,  he  asked  to  preach.  He  stood  up  in  the  pulpit, 
a  mere  shadow,  with  death's  funeral-torch  blazing  on 
his  cheeks  in  its  hectic  flush,  and  warned  sinners  to 
flee  the  wrath  to  come.  One  man  that  we  know  of 
was  convicted  under  this  sermon,  who  was  afterward 
happily  converted  to  God.      His  last  act  was  to  call  the 


264  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

members  of  his  charge  around  him  in  his  sick  cham- 
ber, and  hold  a  class -meeting.  His  last  days  were  full 
of  peace;  calmly  he  met  the  monster  who  had  been 
conquered  by  his  King. 

N.  B.  Peterson  was  stricken  with  Panama  fever  on 
his  voyage  to  California,  and  reached  us  but  to  die. 
He  had  been  appointed  to  San  Jose  Station,  but  he 
died  in  San  Francisco  soon  after  landing.  He  never 
opened  his  commission  amongst  us.  He  left  a  wife 
and  two  daughters  and  one  son,  who  have  been  cared 
for  by  our  Conference  ever  since;  and  although  the 
children  are  long  since  grown,  all  of  them  educated  at 
Pacific  Methodist  College,  the  widow  is  still  a  benefi- 
ciary of  our  Conference. 

J.  L.  Burchard  was  not  present  at  this  session  of  the 
Conference,  but  arrived  some  time  during  the  year. 
He  came  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference.  He  filled  sev- 
eral important  stations;  was  presiding  elder  some  five 
years;  but  in  the  year  1870,  from  some  cause,  he  left  our 
Church,  and  united  with  the  California  Conference  of 
the  M.  E.  Church. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  265 


CHAPTER  X. 

ffHE  tenth  session  met  in  Sacramento  City,  Octo- 
|p  ber  17,  i860.     Again  we  were  without  a  Bishop, 
'  2M    and  W.  R.  Gober  was  elected  President  of  the 
Conference. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  session  J.  F.  Blythe  presented 
a  series  of  resolutions,  intended  to  bring  out  at  each  ses- 
sion the  detailed  work  of  each  preacher.  The  first 
resolution  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  commit- 
tee on  the  state  of  the  work,  to  whom  reports  should 
be  made.  The  second  resolution  provided  for  the  re- 
port by  each  preacher,  whether  editor,  agent,  presid- 
ing elder,  president  or  professor  in  college,  preacher  in 
charge  or  helper,  of  the  number  of  families  visited  and 
prayed  with,  the  number  of  sermons  preached  by  him, 
the  number  of  class  and  prayer-meetings,  and  love- 
feasts  attended;  also  the  number  of  times  he  has  attend- 
ed the  Sunday-schools,  and  the  number  of  lectures  de- 
livered by  him  to  the  Sunday-schools,  with  the  num- 
ber of  houses  of  worship  and  parsonages  built  and  re- 
paired by  him  in  his  charge  during  the  year,  and  the 
amount  collected  and  expended  therefor;  also  the  num- 
ber received  into  the  Church  by  letter,  on  probation, 
and  baptized,  discriminating  in  baptisms  between  adults 
and  infants.  The  third  resolution  provided  for  a  time 
for  said  committee  on  "  the  state  of  the  work  "  to  pre- 
sent their  report,  and  a  religious  discussion  of  the 
same.     The  fourth  resolution  provided  for  the  sending 


266  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

in  of  reports  by  absent  preachers.  The  fifth  resolution 
provided  for  the  raising  of  a  committee  at  this  session, 
to  begin  operations  at  once.  The  committee  was  raised, 
and  in  due  time  presented  its  report.  It  will  give 
some  idea  of  the  work  done  by  our  preachers  during 
the  year.     It  is  as  follows: 

The  report,  though  not  complete,  indicates  that  the  members 
of  the  Pacific  Conference  have  not  been  idle  in  the  Lord's  vine- 
yard during  the  year  just  closed.  The  families  visited,  sermons 
preached,  class-meetings  held,  Sunday-schools  looked  after,  par- 
sonages and  churches  built,  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  members 
received  into  the  Church,  also  the  number  of  conversions  and 
baptisms,  prompt  thanksgiving  to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church. 
We  thank  God  and  take  courage.  The  success  of  the  past  makes 
us  hopeful  for  the  future.     Therefore, 

Resolved,  That  as  members  of  the  Pacific  Annual  Conference 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  that  Ave  will  endeavor  to  do  our 
whole  duty  as  recruiting  officers,  under  the  command  of  the 
blessed  Jesus,  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation,  so  that  at  our  next 
Annual  Conference  we  may  report  an  abundant  harvest  of  souls 
gathered  into  the  Church  of  the  living  God. 

Below  is  an  aggregate  exhibit  of  the  work:  1,346  families  have 
been  visited,  2,725  sermons  have  been  preached,  470  class-meet- 
ings and  577  prayer-meetings  held,  147  love -feasts,  396  Sunday- 
schools  visited,  221  Sunday-school  lectures  delivered,  8  houses 
of  worship  and  3  parsonages  have  been  built,  $7,908  collected 
for  Church  property,  273  members  received  into  full  connec- 
tion and  894  probationers,  422  conversions,  194  adults  and  254 
infants  baptized,  $34,000  secured  for  Pacific  Methodist  College, 
and  nearly  200  volumes  for  its  library. 

This  had  been  a  blessed  year  for  our  Church,  and 
the  results  greatly  encouraged  us.  Our  preachers,  in 
their  devotion  to  the  one  work,  were  getting  fast  hold 
of  the  people's  hearts,  and  God  was  honoring  our  min- 
istry.    Five  young  men  were  admitted  on  trial  into  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  267 

Conference — William  A.  Spurlock,  from  Santa  Clara 
Circuit;  C.  M.  Hogue,  from  Watsonville  Circuit;  Green 
M.  Edwards  and  Benjamin  F.  Burris,  from  Vacaville 
and  Putah  Circuit;  and  Thomas  S.  Bunch,  from  Dry 
Creek  and  Mokelumne  Circuit. 

J.  M.  Rogers,  of  the  Arkansas  Conference,  waa  re- 
admitted, and  H.  Hadley,  recommended  by  the  Yolo 
Circuit,  came  to  us  from  the  M.  E.  Church. 

James  L.  Porter,  a  superannuated  preacher  of  the  St. 
Louis  Conference,  had  come  to  California  for  his  health, 
and,  as  he  had  been  working  with  us  for  some  time, 
our  Conference  passed  a  resolution  commending  him 
and  his  labors,  and  requesting  him  to  change  his  rela- 
tionship, and  identify  himself  more  fully  with  us  by 
transferring  to  the  Pacific  Conference — which  he  did. 
He  was  a  sweet-spirited,  quiet  man,  and  an  excellent 
preacher.  He  was  as  frail  as  an  autumn  flower,  and  it 
was  only  through  the  most  rigid  dieting  and  painstak- 
ing carefulness  that  he  prolonged  his  existence  through 
a  great  many  years.  He  never  touched  flesh  of  any 
kind,  and  had  not  done  so  for  more  than  twenty  years 
before  his  death.  No  temptation  of  rare  and  choice 
food  could  lead  him  to  indulge  beyond  his  prescribed 
habit.  With  a  voice  feeble — alwavs  in  the  be^rinnin^  of 
a  discourse — he  would  arrest  attention  and  command 
quiet  by  its  very  feebleness.  But  as  he  would  warm 
up  with  his  theme,  he  would  put  forth  more  strength 
and  volume  of  voice,  until  he  could  be  heard  distinctly 
by  a  large  audience.  While  he  would  never  become 
excited  in  manner,  yet  at  times  he  would  thrill  an  au- 
dience by  his  deep  pathos  and  quiet  eloquence.  He 
made  but  few  gestures,  and  yet  at  times  his  manner 
was  wonderfullv  touching:. 


268  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Upon  a  certain  occasion,  at  a  camp -meeting,  he  was 
describing  the  scenes  of  the  crucifixion.  One  after 
another  of  the  acts  in  that  wonderful  tragedy  was 
limned  with  a  master-hand  by  the  speaker.  His  pale 
cheek  flushed,  his  eyes  swam  in  unfallen  tears,  his  voice 
trembled  with  deep  emotion.  The  cross  was  there,  the 
sufferer  was  in  sight;  every  listener  was  wrought  up 
to  the  highest  pitch,  when  the  speaker  pointed  to  the 
sufferer.  The  wild  cry,  "It  is  finished!"  broke  from 
his  lips;  "and  then,"  said  the  speaker,  "the  life  strug- 
gled *out  of  the  tortured  body,  the  head  fell  upon  his 
breast,  and  all  was  still."  With  the  word  he  let  fall 
his  own  head  with  a  limp  motion  upon  his  breast,  and 
a  wild  wail  broke  from  the  lips  of  many  of  his  audi- 
ence, as  if  they  were  actual  witnesses  of  the  sufferings 
of  the  Son  of  God. 

Once  or  twice  he  took  work  under  the  presiding 
elder,  but  the  most  of  the  twenty-odd  years  he  spent 
in  our  Conference  he  was  emphatically  a  superannu- 
ated preacher.  He  preached  almost  every  Sabbath  at 
some  point  near  his  home.  He  was  a  bachelor,  and 
lived  with  his  brother  on  Russian  River,  below  the 
town  of  Healdsburg.  The  savor  of  his  influence  was 
always  good.  After  preaching  forty-five  years  he  qui- 
etly fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  January  iS,  18S2. 

William  A.  Spurlock  for  a  time  was  a  very  useful 
and  successful  preacher.  Revivals  followed  his  labors 
in  a  remarkable  manner.  In  the  ninth  year  of  his 
ministry  he  was  made  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Los  An- 
geles Mission  District.  He  filled  this  office  for  three 
years,  and  then  the  Los  Angeles  Conference  was 
formed,  and  he  remained  in  that  Conference.  He  aft- 
erward joined  the  M.  E.  Church,  got  mixed  up  in  sec- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  269 

ular  business,  and  finally  drifted  off  into  an  outside  ho- 
liness movement. 

C.  M.  Hogue  was  a  young  man  who  had  had  his 
mind  poisoned  with  infidel  notions.  Being  brought 
under  the  influence  of  a  gracious  revival  in  Monterey 
County,  under  the  labors  of  R.  C.  Martin,  he  was  pow- 
erfully converted,  and  at  once  felt  a  call  to  preach,  and 
was  licensed  as  soon  as  his  probation  expired.  His  first 
work  after  he  was  converted  was  to  try  and  bring  his 
fellow-skeptics  back  from  their  errors.  He  did  good 
work  for  about  eight  years,  when  he  united  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  When  the  announce- 
ment was  made  to  the  Conference,  some  seven  of  the 
leading  members  introduced  a  resolution  to  the  effect 
that  "  the  Rev.  C.  M.  Hogue,  recently  a  member  of  this 
body,  in  changing  his  Church  relations,  leaves  us  with 
an  unblemished  reputation  as  a  Christian  minister,  and 
in  his  new  field  of  labor  in  the  Master's  service  has  our 
earnest  prayers  for  his  usefulness  and  happiness."  The 
vote  by  the  Conference  on  this  resolution  was  hearty 
and  unanimous. 

Green  M.  Edwards  labored  in  the  Conference  for  a 
term  of  sixteen  years,  and  located.  He  afterward  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  in  Missouri,  where  he  is  still  en- 
oagred  in  his  Master's  service. 

Benjamin  F.  Burris  was  born  in  Cass  County,  Mis- 
souri, in  1833.  His  parents  were  of  Irish  extraction, 
and  Methodists  of  the  Wesleyan  type.  The  daily  wor- 
ship of  God  around  the  family  altar  made  a  proper  re- 
ligious impression  on  his  young  heart,  and  although 
left  an  orphan  at  a  tender  age,  the  seeds  of  righteous- 
ness that  had  been  sown  by  the  hands  of  his  pious  par- 
ents were  preserved.     When   about  sixteen   years   of 


270  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

age  he  was  happily  converted  at  a  camp-meeting  in 
Missouri,  under  the  labors  of  that  "sweet  singer  in 
Israel"  and  revivalist,  the  Rev.  Warren  Pitts,  a  relative 
of  Fountain  E.  Pitts,  of  precious  memory.  He  first 
united  with  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church,  but  on 
coming  to  California,  in  1854,  he  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  Suisun  Valley,  under  the 
ministry  of  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Blythe.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  on  the  Vacaville  Circuit  in  i860,  and  joined  the 
Pacific  Conference  on  trial  the  same  year.  We  believe 
he  has  answered  the  roll-call  of  the  Conference  every 
year  since  he  became  a  member.  His  appointments 
have  been  well  distributed — he  having  preached  all  the 
way  from  Adin  and  Humboldt,  in  the  north,  to  King's 
River  and  Visalia,  in  the  south.  He  is  perfectly  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry — thinks 
and  talks  of  but  little  else.  With  but  a  limited  educa- 
tion to  begin  with,  he  has  become  one  of  our  best  and 
most  successful  preachers.  Revivals  bless  his  labors 
wherever  he  goes.  He  looks,  works,  and  prays  for  a 
revival  all  the  time,  and  God  has  honored  him  with 
wonderful  success.  One  year  (1875)  Bishop  Kava- 
naugh  turned  him  loose  as  Conference  Missionary,  and 
let  him  range  from  one  end  of  the  Conference  to  the 
other,  holding  revival-meetings  and  helping  his  breth- 
ren. He  had  great  success,  and  said  "  that  year  was  a 
constant  feast  to  his  soul."  Hundreds  were  converted 
under  his  ministry. 

He  is  quite  corpulent,  sometimes  pulling  down  the 
beam  at  225  pounds  avoirdupois.  Always  clean  shaven, 
and  wearing  a  straight-breasted  coat,  he  is  often  mis- 
taken for  a  Catholic  priest.  When  in  the  city  of  San 
Francisco  he   can  travel  on   almost  any  line  of  street- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  271 

cars  without  being  asked  by  a  conductor  for  his  fare,  so 
universal  is  the  impression  that  he  is  a  priest.  It  is 
said  that  upon  a  certain  occasion,  while  passing  through 
the  mountains  on  horseback,  in  a  wild,  out-of-the-way 
place,  he  was  called  upon  by  an  Irish  family  to  enter 
their  cabin  and  "  confess  "  them,  they  having:  been  de- 
nied  that  privilege  for  a  long  time,  and  the  burden  of 
their  many  sins  sorely  oppressing  them.  He  had  hard 
work  to  convince  them  that  he  had  no  power  to  ab- 
solve them. 

He  is  exceedingly  absent-minded,  and  is  constantly 
blundering  and  falling  into  ludicrous  scrapes.  No  one 
enjoys  a  rehearsal  of  them,  when  he  is  once  out,  more 
than  himself.  The  second  year  of  his  ministry  he  was 
preaching  in  a  school-house  on  the  Penn  Valley  Cir- 
cuit. It  was  a  hot  day;  the  mercury  was  registering 
no°  in  the  shade.  The  house  was  full  to  overflowing- 
which  helped  to  raise  the  temperature.  It  was  an  im- 
portant occasion,  and  he  had  taken  extra  pains  in  pre- 
paring his  sermon.  He  stood  behind  the  teacher's  ta- 
ble, on  which  stood  an  open  ink  bottle  of  small  dimen- 
sions. As  he  warmed  with  his  subject  and  the  weath- 
er, perspiration  stood  in  beaded  drops  on  his  smoothly- 
shaven  face.  Soon  an  unfortunate  gesture  overturned 
the  ink.  It  was  not  the  preacher's  habit  to  notice  such 
things  as  that.  The  ink  spread  in  a  black  lake  on  the 
table.  After  using  his  handkerchief  a  time  or  two,  he 
threw  it  upon  the  table.  When  he  again  brought  it  to 
his  face  and  removed  it,  the  whole  congregation  broke 
out  into  a  laugh  at  the  ludicrous  appearance  of  the 
speaker.  He  had  everybody's  notice,  whether  he  had 
their  attention  to  his  theme  or  not.  He  had  not  the  re- 
motest idea  what  his   congreg;ation   were  lang-hingf  at. 


272  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

In  his  confusion  he  sweat  more  freely  and  mopped  more 
frequently,  each  time  increasing  the  blackness  of  his 
face.  He  stuck  to  his  text  and  tried  to  call  in  the  seem- 
ing wanderings  of  their  minds,  but  all  in  vain.  At  last 
he  closed  the  service  abruptly,  and  as  good  old  Sister 
Davis  approached  him,  he  said: 

"  I  wish  I  knew  what  you  all  are  laughing  at." 

"  If  I  had  a  looking-glass  I  would  show  you,"  she 
replied. 

Just  then  he  caught  sight  of  his  hands,  and  compre- 
hending the  situation,  he  joined  in  the  laugh  as  heart- 
ily as  any. 

An  experience  of  twenty-five  years  has  not  improved 
him  an  iota  on  this  point  —  he  makes  about  as  many 
blunders  now  as  ever.  And  yet  with  all  his  absent- 
mindedness,  when  in  the  pulpit  he  is  all  at  himself. 
Full  of  his  subject,  and  panting  to  save  sinners,  he 
holds  steadily  and  firmly  to  whatever  theme  he  has  in 
hand.  He  is  never  wanting  in  expedients  at  a  revival, 
and  is  untiring  in  his  labors.  When  duty  calls  he  is 
ever  ready,  and  his  sword  is  kept  bright  by  constant 
use.  He  may  be  called  the  revivalist  of  the  Confer- 
ence. 

Thomas  S.  Bunch  was  one  of  the  best  of  men,  full 
of  religious  zeal,  but  his  early  advantages  were  so  few 
that  he  found  the  habits  of  his  youth,  especially  in 
his  expressions,  to  be  greatly  in  his  way.  He  discon- 
tinued after  one  year  of  trial. 

James  M.  Rogers  had  preached  for  a  number  of  years 
in  the  frontier  work  in  Arkansas.  He  had  braved  all 
the  dangers  and  endured  all  the  privations  of  that  new 
country  with  all  the  faithfulness  of  a  good  soldier  of 
Jesus  Christ.     He  swam  the  swollen  rivers,  lay  out  in 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  273 

the  swamps,  encountered  the  perils  of  the  wilderness 
infested  with  savage  wild  beasts  and  not  less  savage 
Red  men,  all  for  his  Master.  He  traveled  three  years 
as  an  effective  man,  the  fourth  he  was  put  upon  the  su- 
pernumerary list,  and  the  following  year  was  superan- 
nuated. 

On  the  17th  of  September,  1867,  the  old  soldier  re- 
ceived the  order  from  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  to 
lay  aside  his  armor  and  enter  into  rest.  Joyfully  did  he 
hsar  and  obey  the  summons.  His  death  was  most  tri- 
umphant. The  very  room  where  he  met  the  messenger 
seemed  hallowed. 

Thomas  S.  Burnet  was  the  brother  of  California's 
first  Governor.  He  was  a  thorough  Methodist,  the  ex- 
Governor  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  he  had  still  an- 
other brother  who  was  a  preacher  in  the  Campbellite 
Christian  Church.  T.  S.  Burnet  was  a  clear,  logical 
preacher.  He  filled  nineteen  regular  appointments  in 
the  Pacific  Conference,  and  in  1S79  transferred  to  the 
Columbia  Conference. 

H.  Hadley  traveled  one  year,  and  located,  at  his  own 
request. 

It  was  at  this  Conference  that  O.  Fisher,  who  had 
been  in  Oregon,  presented  the  claims  of  Corvallis  Col- 
lege to  the  Southern  Methodists  of  California.  Find- 
ing buildings  in  that  place  that  were  to  be  sold,  he  used 
what  little  available  money  he  had  of  his  own  and  se- 
cured the  bargain,  pledging  the  Pacific  Conference  for 
the  sum  of  $500.  As  related  elsewhere,  he  raised  the 
full  amount  at  this  Conference.  The  financiering  of  a 
body  of  Methodist  preachers  is  a  marvel.  Receiving 
what  might  be  called  a  bare  subsistence,  with  the  bur- 
densome expense  of  a  move  every  few  years,  they  give 
18 


274  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

like  princes  whenever  any  interest  of  the  Church  is  pre- 
sented to  them.  The  greater  portion  of  this  $500  was 
given  by  the  preachers.  And  this  was  not  all  that  they 
gave  during  the  session.  There  were  calls  every  day, 
and  to  all  of  them  they  responded. 

The  quiet,  the  humorous  E.  B.  Lockley  had  raised 
money  enough  among  his  brethren  to  purchase  a  chair 
for  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  editor  of  the  Pacific  Methodist, 
and  in  due  time  he  arrested  the  regular  business  of  the 
Conference  to  present  it.  This  was  done  in  a  most  fa- 
cetious speech.  With  other  things,  catching  the  chair 
by  the  top  and  twirling  it  round  on  the  tripod,  he  said: 
"  You  see,  my  brother,  that  this  chair  can  gyrate.  So 
you  are  to  be  like  a  bee  in  the  heart  of  an  apple,  going 
round  and  round,  gathering  sweetness  from  all  sides, 
and  if  need  be  to  sting? 

The  reports  showed  a  steady  growth  in  all  the  de- 
partments of  the  Church.  There  were  54  local  preach- 
ers; 31  churches,  valued  at  $69,2^0;  20  parsonages,  valued 
at  $11,000;  our  membership  amounted  to  3,393;  our 
Conference  collection  $45^.65;  for  Missions  $878.90;  71 
Sunday-schools  were  reported  with  339  officers  and 
teachers,  1,877  scholars,  90  conversions  among  the  chil- 
dren, 9,257  volumes  in  libraries,  while  $1,618.89  had  been 
collected  for  Sunday-school  purposes,  and  our  people 
had  contributed  $25,671  for  the  support  of  the  ministry. 

When  the  name  of  J.  F.  Blythe  was  called,  he  rose 
in  his  place,  trembling  with  feebleness  (for  he  was 
slowly  drifting  into  consumption,  and  felt  the  energies 
of  his  manhood  giving  way),  and  said:  "Brethren,  I 
have  just  closed  my  fifth  year  as  presiding  elder  in  the 
Pacific  Conference.  No  unpleasant  word  has  ever 
passed  between  me  and   the  preachers    during  the  five 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  275 

years.  I  have  met  you,  brethren,  in  ten  Conference- 
sessions.  I  may  never  meet  you  again.  If  I  do  not,  I 
want  you  to  tell  my  boy,  who  has  been  dedicated  to 
God  in  baptism  on  this  Conference-floor,  and  try  and 
f  impress  it  upon  his  mind,  that  I  wish  him  to  be  a  Meth- 
odist preacher.  Brethren,  if  I  meet  you  no  more  on 
earth,  I'll  meet  you  in  heaven."  As  he  slowly  passed 
out,  all  felt  that  his  work  was  done,  and  that  in  all 
probability  he  would  answer  the  roll-call  above  before 
he  should  hear  another  in  the  Pacific  Conference.  But 
God  gave  him  another  year  of  suffering.  He  had 
in  great  feebleness  labored  on  the  Mariposa  Circuit. 
But  now  he  came  to  Conference  with  his  arms  re- 
versed, and  when  his  name  was  called,  he  said:  "I 
have  received  fifteen  appointments,  but  the  hardest  one 
is  the  one  I  expect  at  this  session — that  is  to  have  to 
stay  while  others  of  you  go.  I  have  ever  desired  to  do 
the  will  of  God;  now  I  am  called  upon  to  suffer  it. 
And,  blessed  be  His  holy  name,  I  am  ready  to  stand 
still  and  see  His  salvation."  Amid  a  shower  of  tears, 
on  motion  of  his  presiding  elder,  he  was  placed  on  the 
superannuated  list     It  was  his  last  Conference. 


276  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  X\ 

'HE  eleventh  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  was 
held  at  the  Macedonia  Camp -ground,  near  the 
town  of  Sebastopol,  in  Sonoma  County,  Oct. 
2-8,  1861.  God  had  blessed  this  place  of  tabernacles 
in  a  most  wonderful  manner.  We  had  many  strong 
friends  in  this  neighborhood,  and  as  they  had  erected 
a  large  and  substantial  shingled  arbor,  we  concluded  to 
try  the  experiment  of  holding  a  session  of  our  Confer- 
ence where  our  members  could  come  and  camp  and 
enjoy  the  religious  services  of  the  session.  A  large 
number  tented  on  the  ground.  There  was  a  large,  free 
table  well  supplied  with  good,  substantial  food.  Near- 
ly all  the  members  of  the  Conference  were  present,  and 
the  revival  fire  kindled  almost  with  the^first  service. 
We  were  again  without  a  Bishop,  and  Morris  Evans 
was  elected  President. 

La  Fayette  Lodge  of  Free  Masons  had  a  large  and 
comfortable  hall  in  the  town  near  by.  Dr.  E.  D.  Har- 
ris, the  Master  of  the  Lodge,  was  a  member  of  our 
Church,  and  they  tendered  us  the  use  of  the  hall  in 
which  to  hold  our  sessions.  We  were  thus  removed 
from  the  noise  and  confusion  of  the  camp,  and  yet 
were  sufficiently  near  to  get  the  full  benefit  of  the 
meeting  when  not  in  session. 

The  war  had  begun,  and  the  whole  land  was  stirred 
with  the  most  intense  excitement,  and  yet  as  a  Church 
we  had   held   so   faithfully  and   undeviatingly    to    our 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  277 

grand  underlying  principle  of  preaching  the  gospel  of 
Christ  alone,  that  gracious  revivals  had  blessed  all 
parts  of  the  Conference,  and  we  had  hardly  ever  en- 
joyed so  much  spiritual  prosperity.  The  preachers 
came  to  the  Conference  camp-meeting  full  of  holy  fire. 
The  people  were  on  a  high  tide  of  religious  enjoy- 
ment, and  such  a  session  of  the  Conference  was  never 
seen  before. 

J.  C.  Simmons,  by  Conference  resolution  at  the  pre- 
vious session,  had  been  requested  to  preach  a  sermon 
on.  the  first  Wednesday  evening  of  the  session  from 
Hab.  iii.  2:  "O  Lord,  revive  thy  work."  At  its  con- 
clusion, the  answer  came  in  the  conversion  of  five  souls. 

The  heavy  hammering  that  we  received  because  we 
were  Southern  Methodists  only  drove  us  closer  togeth- 
er, and  closer  to  Him  of  whom  it  is  said:  "  He  shall  be 
as  an  hiding-place  from  the  wind  and  a  covert  from  the 
tempest. " 

Those  who  were  received  on  trial  at  this  Conference 
were:  Augustus  P.  Anderson,  Richard  Y.  Anderson, 
William  M.  Armstrong,  James  H.  Neal,  Silas  L.  How- 
ard, and  James  M.  Overton.  Re-admitted,  D.  O.  Shat- 
tuck  and  J.  S.  L.  Wood. 

A.  P.  Anderson  was  recommended  from  the  Santa 
Clara  Circuit.  He  was  a  vounor  man  of  eood  educa- 
tion  and  fine  address,  quiet  in  his  manner  and  neat  in 
his  habits  of  dress.  He  was  sent  first  to  Corvallis, 
Oregon:  then  to  Salem,  Oregon;  and  his  next  ap- 
pointment was  to  Austin,  Nevada  Territory.  Two 
years  he  was  stationed  at  Vacaville,  and  one  year  at 
Petaluma.  He  then  changed  his  Church  relations, 
taking  orders  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in 
whose  communion  he  still  remains. 


27S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

R.  Y.  Anderson,  his  brother,  was  much  younger 
than  he.  He  was  converted  at  the  great  May  camp- 
meeting,  near  the  city  of  San  Jose,  in  1858.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  and  recommended  to  the  Annual 
Conference  by  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit.  He  traveled 
but  two  years,  and,  growing  tired  of  a  preacher's  life, 
discontinued  and  let  his  license  expire,  and  gave  up 
the  ministry. 

W.  M.  Armstrong  came  recommended  from  the  Dry- 
town  Circuit.  He  filled  eight  appointments,  and  lo- 
cated in  1869.  He  is  still  a  local  preacher  in  our 
Church,  and  expresses  regrets  that  he  did  not  continue 
in  the  itinerancy.  He  feels  that  his  life  would  have 
been  more  of  a  success,  and  he  would  have  been  able 
to  accomplish  more  for  the  Master. 

J.  H.  Neal  came  with  his  parents  to  California  at  an 
early  day.  He  was  then  a  mere  boy.  His  father  set- 
tled in  Grass  Valley,  Nevada  County.  When  J.  F. 
Blythe  was  sent  by  Dr.  J.  Boring  to  establish  our 
Church  in  this  town  and  Nevada,  in  September,  1S51, 
he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  house  of  his  father, 
T.  K.  Neal.  His  mother  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  in  Missouri,  but  his  father  was  not  a 
member  of  any  Church.  There  were  present  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  persons,  a  few  women  and  children 
among  them.  There  were  but  few  women  in  Califor- 
nia, and  especially  in  the  mines,  at  this  period.  Broth- 
er Blythe  at  once  proceeded  to  organize  the  Church. 
A  man  by  the  name  of  Harbin,  and  perhaps  two  oth- 
ers, joined.  Soon  after,  S.  K.  Hutchison  and  Mrs. 
Frances  Neal  (the  mother  of  J.  H.  Neal)  united  with 
the  Church. 
.    The  first  of  March,  1853,  J.  C.  Simmons  was  sent  to 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  279 

take  charge  of  the  Grass  Valley  Station.  It  was  then 
called  Centerville,  but  soon  lost  this  name,  and  is  now 
known  only  as  Grass  Valley.  J.  F.  Blythe  had  put  up 
the  hull  of  a  church  on  a  lot  donated  by  T.  K.  Neal. 
J.  H.  Neal  was  then  but  a  boy.  He  had  broken  two 
young  oxen,  and  was  doing  a  driving  business  hauling 
cradles,  long-toms,  sluice-boxes,  and  other  mining  im- 
plements about  the  mines.  With  his  two  young  oxen 
—  Chai'ley  arid  Taylor — he  hauled  all  the  material  for 
this  church.  When  J.  C.  Simmons  arrived,  there  were 
neither  shutters  to  the  doors  nor  sash  to  the  windows. 
One  of  the  first  acts  performed  by  him  was  to  borrowr 
some  tools  and  make  a  pair  of  panel  doors  for  the 
church,  though  he  had  never  attempted  such  a  thing 
before. 

Not  long  after  his  arrival,  one  Sabbath  evening,  a 
more  than  usual  solemnity  rested  upon  the  congrega- 
tion. After  the  benediction  had  been  pronounced,  a 
few  young  men  lingered  about  the  altar.  He  ap- 
proached one  of  them,  and  laying  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder,  asked  him  if  he  did  not  want  to  be  religious. 
He  tremblingly  responded  in  the  affirmative.  As  he 
kneeled,  two  others  kneeled  with  him.  A  few  of  the 
members  of  the  Church  were  present,  and  they  began 
praying  for  them  and  instructing  them  in  the  way  of 
life.  At  length  all  three  of  them  were  happily  con- 
verted, almost  at  the  same  moment.  These  three  young 
men  were  J.  H.  Neal,  Chesley  Ray,  and  William  Smith, 
and  were  said  to  be  the  first  souls  converted  under  the 
ministry  of  our  Church  in  the  State.  It  sealed  out- 
mission  as  divine  and  our  call  to  this  work  as  of  God. 
This  "handful  of  corn  in  the  earth  upon  the  top  of  the 
mountain:   the  fruit  thereof  has  shaken  like  Lebanon." 


280  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

J.  H.  Neal  led  a  consistent  Christian  life,  and  as  he 
approached  manhood  he  heard  the  call  of  God  to  the 
ministry  of  his  word.  He  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
entered  the  Conference  on  trial  at  this  session;  and, 
with  only  a  brief  interval,  has  been  laboring  with  us 
ever  since.  Two  years  he  was  presiding  elder.  He 
has  in  many  respects  had  a  hard  struggle  with  the 
world.  But  with  his  trust  in  the  providence  of  God, 
he  has  held  to  his  one  work,  and  many  in  the  last  day 
will  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed. 

His  mother,  Mrs.  Frances  W.  Neal,  was  one  of  the 
elect  ladies  of  California.  Reared  a  Baptist,  she  knew 
nothing  of  Methodism  until  she  came  to  this  State. 
After  joining  our  Church  she  became  a  thorough  and 
enthusiastic  Methodist.  Like  Lydia,  she  ever  con- 
strained the  ministers  of  God  to  share  the  hospitality 
of  her  home.  With  a  zeal  that  a  period  of  thirty  years 
could  not  quench,  she  took  upon  her  the  ministering 
to  the  saints.  Never  was  she  more  happy  than  when 
they  were  gathered  about  her  table,  or  when  she  was 
busy  supplying  their  wants.  For  many  years  she  was 
the  chief  pillar  in  the  Grass  Valley  Church,  and  when 
God  counted  her  boy  worthy,  putting  him  into  the 
ministry  of  the  Church  of  her  love,  no  Spartan  mother 
ever  gave  her  son  to  the  service  of  his  countrv  more 
joyfully  than  she.  It  was  the  crowning  glory  of  her 
life  to  know  that  her  "James  Henry  "  was  out  among 
the  reapers  shouting  the  harvest  home. 

When  the  sainted  D.  K.  Bond,  of  our  Conference, 
felt  the  arrows  of  the  destroyer  rankling  in  his  bosom, 
he  turned  his  failing  footsteps  to  Sister  Neal's  door, 
knowing  that  she  would  be  a  mother  to  him  as  he  felt 
his  way  down  the  rocky   banks  of  the  Jordan.     Had 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  2S1 

he  been  her  own  "James  Henry  "  she  could  not  have 
made  him  more  welcome,  or  done  more  for  him.  As 
consumption  did  its  slow  but  steady  work,  her  hands 
never  wearied,  her  care  never  ceased,  until  with  a 
mother's  tender  touch  she  closed  his  sightless  eyes,  and 
laid  him  down  to  rest  in  his  last,  long  sleep. 

As  a  slight  manifestation  of  appreciation,  the  Con- 
ference at  its  next  session,  by  Conference  action,  pre- 
sented Sister  Neal  with  a  fine  family  Bible.  The  Con- 
ference at  the  same  time  gave  a  like  gift  to  Rufus  F. 
Martin,  who  assisted  in  nursing  Brother  Bond.  Her 
care  for  the  ministers  of  Christ  was  not  without  its  re- 
ward, even  in  this  life.  All  of  her  children  and  her 
husband  were  brought  to  Christ  through  their  instru- 
mentality. "Vinny  Leal"  (Neal),  whose  "Trip  to 
the  Golden  Shore"  has  been  painted  in  such  heavenly 
colors  by  the  Rev.  R.  W.  Bigham,  was  her  babe — her 
youngest  child.  All  the  family  have  joined  company 
above,  save  J.  H.  and  an  older  sister.  It  would  require 
a  careful  inspection  of  the  book  of  the  recording  angel 
to  know  the  value  of  this  one  woman  to  our  Church 
in  California  and  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

Silas  L.  Howard  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  B.  C.  How- 
ard.    He  labored  only  part  of  the  first  year. 

J.  M.  Overton  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri, 
in  1836;  came  to  California  when  not  yet  grown.  At- 
tending a  camp-meeting  near  Linden,  in  1858,  he  was 
happily  converted  to  God,  claiming  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Simmons  as  his  spiritual  father.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  on  the  Vallecita  Circuit  in  i860,  under  the  min- 
istry of  the  Rev.  S.  W.  Davies.  He  joined  the  Con- 
ference in  the  fall  of  1861.  He  has  been  a  useful  man. 
Many  souls  have  been  brought  to  the  cross  through 


2S2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

his  faithful  labors.  He  has  been  peculiarly  successful 
in  building  up  charges  that  have  run  down.  Time  and 
again  has  he  been  sent  as  a  forlorn  hope  to  such,  and 
never  has  he  failed.  He  stands  ready  to  go  anywhere 
u  the  powers  that  be  "  may  direct.  It  is  always  a  great 
comfort  to  a  faithful  preacher  to  know  that  he  is  serv- 
ing a  Captain  that  himself  was  "  made  perfect  through 
suffering" — one  who  is  always  with  his  followers,  and 
will  reward  them,  not  according  to  their  success,  but 
according  to  their  works.  To  stand  as  picket-guard 
or  hold  an  outpost  is  as  important  as  to  lead  a  grand 
charge  against  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.  The  principle 
laid  down  by  David  in  regard  to  the  spoils  of  war  is 
the  principle  by  which  David's  greater  Son  shall  re- 
ward his  servants  and  soldiers.  With  the  exception  of 
two  years,  when  he  was  in  the  local  ranks,  Brother 
Overton  has  been  in  active  service,  and  he  has  done 
faithful  work. 

D.  O.  Shattuck  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Louis- 
iana Conference,  and  was  re-admitted  at  this  session. 
He  was  a  man  well  advanced  in  years,  and  of  large 
and  varied  experience.  He  was  a  lawyer  as  well  as  a 
preacher.  He  remained  in  the  Conference  but  two 
years;  was  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Petaluma  District, 
and  did  us  good  service.  He  was  connected  with  the 
first  class  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Church  ever  or- 
ganized on  this  coast.  He  was  present  in  San  Fran- 
cisco when  A,  M.  Wynn  gathered  the  first  little  band 
in  that  city.  He  is  one  of  earth's  noblemen;  has  held 
to  his  integrity  and  to  the  fortunes  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  South,  through  all  the  years  of  its  history  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  He  was  present  at  the  organization  of  the 
Pacific  Conference,  though  not  a  member,  and  aided  us 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  28 


j 


much  with  his  counsel  and  advice.  Nearly  all  the  mem- 
bers that  composed  the  Conference  at  its  organization 
were  voung  men,  men  of  but  little  experience,  and  in 
the  many  points  of  difficulty  that  arose  in  the  course 
of  the  business  of  the  Conference  his  wisdom  and  ad- 
vice was  of  infinite  service.  Having  had  large  expe- 
rience as  a  lawyer,  his  legal  information  gave  his  coun- 
sels additional  weight  and  value.  He  spent  many  years 
in  San  Francisco,  but  much  of  his  time  has  been  passed 
on  his  delightful  little  farm  in  Sonoma  Valley,  near  the 
town  of  Sonoma.  He  has  ever  been  the  fast  friend  of 
the  preachers,  and  he  and  his  excellent  family  have 
often  refreshed  the  weary  itinerant  by  their  hospitality. 
When  a  Southern  Methodist  preacher  entered  his  home, 
he  was  made  to  feel  at  once  that  he  could  lay  aside  all 
restraint  and  surrender  himself  to  his  ease  and  enjoy- 
ment. Being  well  posted  in  theology,  in  history,  in 
law — in  fact,  ready  on  almost  any  subject  that  might 
arise — the  young  preacher  especially  found  a  visit  to  his 
home  a  blessing  to  him.  His  sermons  were  always 
clear  and  logical,  his  illustrations  forcible,  and  his  lan- 
guage correct  and  well  chosen.  While  sitting  under 
his  pulpit  ministrations  you  could  not  resist  the  conclu- 
sion that  you  were  listening  to  a  master  in  Israel.  He 
has  often  given  expression  to  the  deep  regret  he  felt 
that  he  did  not  give  himself  wholly  to  the  work  of 
the  Christian  ministry.  As  the  world  views  it,  he  has 
been  a  successful  lawyer.  He  has  stood  the  peer  of 
the  best — has  won  position  and  achieved  fame.  But  all 
this  he  regards  as  hollow  and  vain.  The  precious  tal- 
ents God  has  bestowed  upon  him  have  not  been  used 
in  the  channel  that  might  have  brought  the  largest  rev- 
enue to  his  Master;  and  once  or  twice  in  the  late  even- 


2S4  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ing  of  his  life  he  himself  stood  before  the  members  of 
the  Pacific  Conference  and  confessed  his  error,  and 
warned  the  young  men  of  the  Conference  not  to  fol- 
low his  example. 

For  many  years  he  has  suffered  from  a  rather  strange 
affection.  While  in  apparently  perfect  bodily  health, 
his  brain  has  been  so  affected  that  he  cannot  preach  or 
undertake  anything  that  requires  consecutive  though.. 
At  times  his  mind  will  be  acting  as  clearly  and  as  pow- 
erfully as  at  any  period  in  his  life,  when,  in  a  moment, 
every  thought  will  leave  him,  and  all  will  be  blank. 
When  asked  to  assist  in  recalling  some  facts  in  our 
early  history,  he  said:  "I  have  been  trying  to  recall 
the  first  days  of  Southern  Methodism,  that  I  might 
comply  with  your  request,  and  send  you  some  notes; 
but  my  mind  is  almost  a  blank,  my  health  is  bad,  but  my 
heart  is  all  right."  In  his  old  age  his  mind  is  staid  on 
God.  His  experience  of  personal  piety  and  commun- 
ion with  God  is  uninterrupted.  No  shadows  fall  upon 
his  moral  powers,  no  blanks  occur  there.  Jesus,  whom 
he  hath  served  so  long,  keeps  him  in  perfect  peace. 

A  few  years  ago  his  wife,  who  had  ever  been  a  faith- 
ful servant  of  God  in  ministering  to  his  followers,  was 
called  away  to  her  reward  on  high,  and  now  the  dear  old 
saint  and  soldier  is  waiting  his  call  to  join  her  above. 

J.  S.  L.  Wood,  also  re-admitted  at  this  Conference, 
traveled  but  one  year,  and  located. 

O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  W.  R.  Gober,  and  O.  Fisher  were 
elected  delegates  to  the  General  Conference,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  Civil  War  that  body  did  not  convene. 

During  this  Conference-year  another  school  venture 
was  undertaken.  B.  W.  Taylor  had  started  a  school  in 
Visalia,  and  now  offered  it  to  the  Conference.     A  com- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  285 

mittee,  consisting  of  J.  C.  Pendergrast,  S.  W.  Davies, 
and  J.  C.  Stewart,  was  appointed  to  investigate  the 
condition  of  the  school,  and  report  at  the  ensuing  ses- 
sion. After  a  time  this  school  was  taken  under  the 
wing  of  the  Conference.  It  was  called  the  Visalia 
Seminary,  but  after  a  few  years  it  passed  from  our 
hands. 

We  were  now  in  the  midst  of  our  national  troubles, 
and  our  movements  as  a  Church  were  watched  with 
more  jealousv  than  ever  before.  .  The  Conference  there- 
fore appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  W.  R.  Gober, 
J.  F.  Blythe,  and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  to  prepare  a  Pas- 
toral Letter  to  be  sent  out  to  the  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  California  and  Ore- 
gon. It  was  carefully  and  prayerfully  prepared,  and 
very  opportune.     The  address  was  as  follows: 

Dear  Brethren: — We,  jour  pastors  in  Conference  assem- 
bled, take  this  occasion  to  give  you  some  words  of  advice  and  en- 
couragement. This,  we  think,  is  rendered  the  more  necessary 
by  the  peculiar  trials  through  which  our  Church  on  this  coast  is 
now  passing. 

From  the  first  landing  of  our  ministry  upon  this  coast  they 
have  encountered  bitter  prejudices  and  strong  opposition.  This 
opposition  has  been  greatly  intensified  recently  by  political  ex- 
citement and  national  troubles.  Our  enemies  have  regarded  this 
fact  as  an  unmistakable  indication  and  immediate  fulfillment  of 
their  oft-repeated  predictions  of  our  speedy  downfall  as  a  Church, 
and  have  spared  no  pains  to  fasten  this  conviction  upon  the  pub- 
lic mind.  The  only  reply  we  have  ever  made,  or  intend  to  make, 
to  these  croakers,  and  others  like  them,  is  simply  to  point  them 
to  what  God  hath  wrought  by  us.  In  reviewing  our  labors  for 
the  Conference-year  now  closing,  we  find  much  cause  for  thanks- 
giving to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  for  the  success  with 
which  he  has  crowned  our  labors.  Notwithstanding  the  excite- 
ment which  has  swept  over  the  country,  stirring  up  sectional 


2S6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

prejudice,  and  agitating  the  public  mind,  God  has  graciously 
owned  our  special  effort,  and  blessed  us  with  glorious  revivals  in 
various  parts  of  the  country.  In  a  few  instances,  at  least,  these 
meetings  have  been  attended  with  extraordinary  displays  of  sav- 
ing power  such  as  are  rarely  witnessed  in  this  or  any  other  coun- 
try. Between  six  and  seven  hundred  souls  have  been  happily 
converted  to  God  through  our  instrumentality  during  the  year. 
This  we  refer  to  with  deep  and  heart-felt  gratitude  as  the  very 
best  evidence  of  what  we  are  doing,  and  as  indicating  whether  or 
not  our  mission  on  this  coast  is  ended. 

These  results  also  afford  confirmation,  if  confirmation  were 
needed,  that  the  platform  of  our  Church  is  scriptural  and  right  The 
Church  is  neither  a  political  nor  a  politico-religious  association. 
Our  business  is  with  the  gospel;  our  mission  is  to  "spread  script- 
ural holiness  over  these  lands."  We  aim  to  save  the  country 
from  ruin;  not  by  controlling  its  politics,  passing  resolutions,  or 
preaching  upon  the  crisis,  but  by  saving  the  people  from  their 
sins.  Preaching  the  pure  word  of  life  is  God's  accredited  instru- 
mentality  for  the  salvation  of  the  world.  The  gospel  is  intended 
for  all  people,  of  every  age  and  country.  The  Church  which  con- 
fines itself  to  its  legitimate  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  and  sav*- 
ing  souls  is  always  in  the  right  place  when  surrounded  by  sinners, 
and  has  no  need  of  changing  her  tactics  or  altering  her  platform 
to  suit  political  changes.  The  same  gospel  that  saves  men  in 
time  of  peace  will  save  them  in  time  of  war.  And  when  all 
men  are  saved  by  it,  there  will  be  no  war.  The  gospel  which 
makes  men  true  Christians  will  at  the  same  time  make  them  good 
citizens. 

Our  advice  to  you,  dear  brethren,  is  to  obey  the  laws  of  the 
land  and  worship  the  God  of  your  fathers.  "  Render  to  Caesar 
the  thing6  which  are  Caesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  which  are 
God's."  Avoid  carefully  exciting  discussions  and  entangling  as- 
sociations. Give  no  occasion  of  offense.  Cultivate  peace  with 
all  men.  Do  your  whole  duty  to  God  and  your  country. 
.  We  trust  you  will  cordially  receive,  liberally  provide  for,  and 
cheerfully  co-operate  with,  the  ministers  now  sent  out  by  us  to 
serve  you  as  pastors  during  the  ensuing  year.  You  need  no 
argument   from  us  to  convince  you  of  the  importance  of  the 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  287 

means  of  grace  and  ordinances  of  the  Church.  These  you  need 
and  must  have;  but  unless  served  by  our  ministers,  many  of  you 
will  be  entirely  deprived  of  these.  We  now  realize  more  fully 
than  ever  before  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  our  mission  on 
this  coast. 

Past  successes  place  the  seal  of  God's  approbation  upon  us  as 
a  Church.  By  divine  providence  we  came  hither,  by  divine  prov- 
idence we  have  been  sustained,  and  by  the  same  Almighty  aid  we 
intend  to  stand  by  our  work,  and  discharge  our  duty  in  the  future. 

The  hostility  to  us  as  a  Church,  marked  and  intense  as  it  is,  has 
in  all  probability  not  yet  reached  the  culminating  point.  But 
however  this  may  be,  our  duty  is  plain,  and  we  dare  not  shrink 
from  it.  And  although  our  enemies  may  continue  to  predict  our 
overthrow,  and  labor  and  pray  for  the  fulfillment  of  their  own 
prediction;  although  the  storm  of  persecution  may  rage,  the 
waves  of  political  excitement  run  high,  and  national  troubles  shake 
the  country  from  its  center  to  its  circumference,  still,  while  permit- 
ted to  live  and  enjoy  freedom,  and  while  God  continues  to  bless  us 
with  success,  we  are  here  to  live  and  die  with  you.  Use  all  the 
means  of  grace,  public  and  private;  stand  fast  in  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  you  free;  and  may  the  God  whom 
you  serve  bless  you  with  all  needed  good. 


2SS  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  XII. 

fHE  twelfth  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference  was 
held  in  San  Jose,  Oct  i,  1862.  On  first  roll-call 
forty-one  preachers  answered  to  their  names. 
We  were  again  without  a  Bishop.  The  cruel  Civil 
War  that  was  raging  in  ouf  land  was  at  its  height,  and 
there  "was  no  communication  between  the  sections. 
Our  Bishops  were  all  shut  in  within  the  lines  of  the 
Confederate  States 

A.  M.  Bailey  was  elected  President  of  the  Confer- 
ence, and  we  at  once  adjusted  ourselves  to  Conference 
work.  Only  two  applicants  for  admission  on  trial  ap- 
peared— T.  H.  B.  Anderson  and  Lewis  J.  Hedgpeth — 
both  recommended  from  the  Chico  Circuit.  They  were 
both  admitted.  W.  T.  Luckey,  who  had  been  elected 
President  of  Pacific  Methodist  College,  had  arrived 
some  time  previous  to  the  Conference.  He  came  as  a 
transfer,  on  trial,  from  the  Missouri  Conference.  He 
was  in  his  second  year.  Though  few  in  number,  this 
was  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  Conference,  and  all 
three  of  them  have  done  us  good  service. 

T.  H.  B.  Anderson  was  born  in  Grundy  County, 
Missouri,  May  26,  1842.  His  parents  were  from  Ken- 
tucky, but  settled  in  Missouri  in  1838.  He  came  to 
California  with  his  parents  in  i860,  and  settled  on  Dry 
Creek,  Butte  County.  He  was  not  afraid  of  work,  and 
for  two  years  was  variously  employed — sometimes  in 
the  hay-field,  sometimes  steering  a   plow  through  the 


On   tiii:  Pacific  Coast.  2S9 

furrowed  field,  sometimes  amid  the  dust  and  clatter  of  a 
threshing-machine,  sometimes  cutting  saw-logs  or  mak- 
ing fence,  and  sometimes,  like  Elisha,  maneuvering 
with  oxen.  Whatever  he  did,  he  did  to  the  best  of  his 
skill.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the  Church  in  his 
native  State,  brought  his  Church-letter  with  him,  and 
gave  it  to  B.  H.  Russell,  the  preacher  in  charge  of  Chi- 
co  Circuit,  in  August,  1S61,  thus  fully  identifying  him- 
self with  our  Church  on  this  coast.  In  June  of  the 
following  year  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  T.  C.  Bar- 
ton being  the  presiding  elder,  and  J.  H.  Neal  the 
preacher  in  charge.  The  Quarterly  Conference  at 
which  he  was  licensed  was  held  at  his  own  fathers 
home  on  Dry  Creek.  He  began  at  once  to  preach — 
began  right  among:  his  old  friends  and  neighbors. 

His  first  appointment  by  the  Conference  was  a  hard 
one — Point  Arenas  Circuit,  up  among  the  loggers  and 
tan-bark  peelers.  He  had  to  preach  in  school-houses, 
in  private  dwellings,  or  anywhere  he  could  get  an  audi- 
ence. These  were  troublous  times.  Political  excite- 
ment was  at  fever-heat.  The  people  who  had  heard 
the  fervid  eloquence  of  the  ardent  young  preacher 
thought  they  saw  in  him  "  the  dark  horse  "  that  could 
win  a  political  race,  and  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  run 
for  the  Legislature.  Fortunately,  he  was  distanced  in 
the  race.  At  Conference,  like  a  true  man,  he  saw  and 
acknowledged  his  error,  and  from  that  time  forward 
confined  his  labors  to  the  whitening  harvest  of  his  heav- 
enly Master.  And  many  have  been  the  well-bound 
sheaves  he  has  brought  in  with  rejoicing.  His  second 
appointment  was  the  Vacaville  Circuit,  where  Pacific 
Methodist  College  was  located,  and  he  made  good  use 
of  his  opportunities  to  still  farther  improve  his  mind 
J9 


290 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


and   increase  the   fund   of   his   knowledge.     He   loved 
studv,   and    these    surroundings    in    his    early    ministry 
proved   a  blessing  to  him.     In  the  eighth  year  of  his 
ministry   he   was   made    Presiding  Elder   of  the  Colu- 
sa District.     It  was  through  his  energy  that  a  handsome 
district  parsonage  was  built  in  the  town  of  Chico,  while 
he  was  presiding  elder  of  that  district.     After  remain- 
ing two  years  on  this  district  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Santa  Rosa  District.     But  here  his   constitution,-  never 
very  vigorous,  gave  way,  and  he  was  threatened  with  a 
complete  overthrow  of  health.     With  the  dread  of  con- 
sumption pursuing  him,  he  took  a  trip  to  Texas.     The 
first  year  he  was  placed   upon  our  superannuated  list, 
but  the  next  he  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  ask  a  trans- 
fer to  the  North-west  Texas  Conference.     He  filled  two 
appointments  in  that  Conference,  doing  good  and  full 
work,  when  he  re-transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference 
in  1S76.     He  was  appointed  to  Colusa  Station  for  three 
years  in  succession.     While  here  he  built  the  very  best 
church  in  Northern  California.     It  would  be  an  orna- 
ment to  any  city.     He  went  from  Colusa  to  Sacramento 
City,  where  he  remodeled  our  church,  and  added  many 
important  improvements.     Pie  was  sent  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  preached  in  a  hall  in  the  western  part  of  the 
city.     During:  his  administration  the  Russ-street  Church 
was  moved  from  the  lower  part  of  the  city  to  its  pres- 
ent fine  location,  on  Bush  Street,  in  the  western  addi- 
tion. 

About  this  time  Pacific  Methodist  College  was  pass- 
ing through  a  crisis,  and  the  eves  of  the  Conference 
were  turned  to  him  to  tide  it  over.  He  was  stationed 
in  Colusa  at  the  time,  but  with  his  characteristic  zeal 
and   hope   he  took   hold  of  the  work,  in   addition  to  his 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  291 

duties  as  pastor  at  a  distant  point,  and  as  Agent  and 
President/™  tern,  of  the  College,  he  wrote  letters  to  his 
many  friends,  went  from  place  to  place  in  person,  and 
before  the  year  expired  had  things  in  a  shape  to  lift  a 
debt  of  several  thousand  dollars  at  the  Conference  that 
had,  like  the  "Old  Man  of  the  Sea,"  well-nigh  strangled 
the  institution.  The  appeal  made  at  the  Conference 
was  prefaced  by  one  of  the  clearest,  most  forcible  re- 
ports as  to  the  condition,  importance,  and  value  to  us 
of  the  college  that  had  ever  been  presented  to  that  body. 
In  all  the  long,  hard  struggle  his  courage  never  failed, 
and  he  had  the  happy  faculty  of  inspiring  others  with 
his  hopeful  spirit. 

Only  one  year  in  the  history  of  his  connection  with 
us  was  he  local,  and  this  was  owing  to  ill-health. 

L.  J.  Hedgpeth,  the  only  classmate  of  T.  H.  B.  An- 
derson, was  also  a  faithful  man.  For  twelve  years  he 
filled  appointments  in  the  Pacific  Conference,  traveling 
from  Shasta  in  the  north  to  Millerton  in  the  south,  la- 
boring cheerfully  in  whatever  field  his  lot  was  cast.  In 
1875  he  transferred  to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference,  and 
at  one  time  went  as  far  east  as  Arizona,  enduring  hard- 
ships known  only  to  a  faithful  itinerant  who  labors  in 
new  and  uncultivated  fields.  At  times  he  has  been  on 
the  ragged  edge  of  physical  suffering,  denied  even  the 
necessaries  of  life,  enduring  all  in  the  name  and  for  the 
sake  of  Him  whose  servant  and  soldier  he  was.  The 
brightness  of  his  crown  will  doubtless  be  in  proportion 
to  the  brightness  of  his  gospel  sword  that  has  flashed  all 
along  the  Pacific  Coast  from  beneath  the  shadows  and 
snows  of  Shasta  to  the  shifting  sands  of  Arizona. 

W.  T.  Luckey  had  been  recommended  to  the  Trust- 
ees of  Pacific  Methodist  College  as  a  successful  teacher, 


292  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

and  they  invited  him  to  come  out  and  take  the  presi- 
dency of  that  institution.  He  was  at  the  time  at  the 
head  of  Central  College,  La  Fayette,  Missouri.  He 
came  and  took  formal  charge  of  the  college  some  time 
before  the  session  of  the  Conference.  He  was  a  man 
of  vigorous  constitution,  of  commanding  appearance, 
and  had  had  large  experience  for  one  of  his  age  in 
teaching.  Under  his  management  the  school  rose  rap- 
idly in  numbers  and  importance.  It  was  at  his  sugges- 
tion that  the  female  department  was  added  to  the  col- 
lege— an  arrangement  that  has  "worked  well  for  a  period 
of  over  twenty  years.  It  has,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Pacific  Conference,  solved  the  problem  of  the  co-edu- 
cation of  the  sexes.  Dr.  Luckey  was  a  sound,  logical 
preacher,  but  teaching  was  his  delight. 

In  1867  he  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  college, 
and  the  following  year  located,  at  his  own  request. 

He  was  at  one  time  Principal  of  the  State  Normal 
School  in  San  Jose,  filling  that  responsible  position  with 
fidelity  and  credit  to  himself. 

In  1S76  he  visited  Philadelphia,  and  immediately  on 
his  return,  in  the  full  strength  and  vigor  of  his  man- 
hood,  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  died. 

At  this  Conference  a  demand  was  made  for  an  en- 
largement of  the  college-building,  the  one  in  use  being 
too  small  to  accommodate  the  increasing  patronage. 

A  very  serious  discovery  was  made  with  reference  to 
the  endowment  fund.  It  consisted  mainly  in  notes 
given  by  different  individuals  for  various  amounts,  rang- 
ing from  $25  up  to  $1,000.  The  interest  on  these  notes 
was  to  be  paid  annually.  It  was  found  very  expensive 
and  very  difficult  to  collect  this  interest,  costing  almost 
as  much  as  it  was  worth — the  parties  giving  these  notes 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


293 


living  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  Not  only  so,  but  chang- 
ing circumstances  were  rendering  many  of  these  notes 
worthless.  We  also  saw  that  in  a  little  time  many  of 
them  would  be  outlawed,  and  we  would  realize  nothing 
from  them.  An  effort  was  made,  and  the  Agent  so  in- 
structed, to  collect  these  notes  as  rapidly  as  possible — a 
movement  that  met  with  only  partial  success.  Many 
found  it  much  easier  to  give  a  note  than  to  pay  the 
money.  And  so,  from  one  cause  or  another,  our  en- 
dowment of  $30,000  dwindled  to  a  very  insignificant 
figure.  Agent  after  agent  was  put  into  the  field  with 
varying  success,  until  the  unpleasant  fact  was  forced 
upon  us  that  we  would  have  to  secure  a  new  endow- 
ment or  depend  upon  tuition-fees  for  the  support  of  our 
teachers. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  all  communication  with  the 
Publishing  House  was  cut  off,  we  formally  closed  our 
Book  Depository  at  this  Conference.  Not  only  so,  but 
we  had  suffered  from  a  flood  the  preceding  winter,  and 
the  Pacific  Methodist^  our  Conference  organ,  had  been 
suspended.  We  felt  this  the  more  keenly  because  we 
could  not  get  the  home  Church-papers.  Dr.  Fitzger- 
ald, the  Editor,  had  fought  manfully  to  sustain  the  pa- 
per, using  much  of  his  own  personal  means  to  keep  it 
alive,  but  was  at  last  compelled  to  yield  to  the  heavy 
pressure  and  suspend. 

The  material  interests  of  the  Church  were  advancing. 
We  had  a  parsonage  on  the  San  Ramon  Circuit,  a 
church  and  parsonage  at  San  Jose,  two  churches  and  a 
parsonage  on  the  Santa  Clara  Circuit,  two  churches  and 
a  parsonage  on  Gilroy  Circuit,  a  church  at  Petaluma,  a 
church  and  parsonage  on  the  Bodega  Circuit,  two 
churches  and  a  parsonage  on  the  Healdsburg  Circuit,  a 


294  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

parsonage  in  Ubiah,  a  church  and  parsonage  on  the 
Napa  Circuit,  two  churches  and  a  parsonage  on  Suisun 
Circuit,  a  church  in  Sacramento,  a  parsonage  on  the 
Cosumne  Circuit,  a  church  on  the  Mokelumne  Cir- 
cuit, two  churches  on  Dry  town  and  Volcano  Circuit,  a 
church  on  El  Dorado  Circuit,  a  church  and  parsonage 
on  the  Calaveras  Circuit,  a  parsonage  on  Cacheville 
Circuit,  a  church  and  parsonage  at  Colusa,  a  church-lot 
and  parsonage  at  Chico,  a  church-lot  and  parsonage  at 
Yuba  City,  a  church  at  Grass  Valley,  two  churches  and 
a  parsonage  on  Yankee  Jim's  Circuit,  a  church  and 
parsonage  in  Visalia,  a  church  and  parsonage  in  Mari- 
posa, a  parsonage  on  Merced  Circuit,  two  churches  and 
a  parsonage  at  Montezuma,  a  church  at  Vallicita,  a 
church  and  parsonage  at  Stockton;  besides  our  college 
property  at  Vacaville  and  school  property  at  San  Jose 
and  Visalia.  There  were  sixty  local  preachers,  and 
nearly  3,000  members  of  the  Church. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  295 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

IfHE  thirteenth  session  was  held  in  Petaluma,  Oc- 
tober 7,  1863.  O.  Fisher  was  elected  President. 
We  had  indulged  some  faint  hopes  that  Bishop 
Kavanaugh  would  reach  us.  But  every  thing  in  the  East 
was  in  confusion.  And  as  all  the  other  Bishops  were 
straitly  shut  in,  Bishop  Kavanaugh  had  all  he  could  do 
to  look  after  the  Church  along  the  border. 

No  one  could  yet  foresee  the  results  of  the  war,  and 
many  of  our  people  began  to  despair  of  Episcopal  vis- 
itation. Early  in  the  session  a  memorial  was  presented 
from  the  Santa  Rosa  Circuit,  praying  that,  as  a  matter 
of  expediency  in  the  present  calamitous  state  of  the 
country,  we  would  modify  our  Church  relations,  and 
declare  ourselves  an  independent  organization  on  this 
coast;  and  that  our  young  ministers  might  be  ordained 
so  as  to  administer  the  sacraments,  we  would  elect  a 
Bishop  from  amongst  ourselves,  etc. 

This  memorial  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the 
State  of  the  Church,  composed  of  D.  O.  Shattuck,  S. 
W.  Davies,  W.  R.  Gober,  B.  R.  Johnson,  O.  P.  Fitz- 
gerald, T.  C.  Barton,  A.  M.  Bailey,  J.  L.  Burchard,  and 
J.  Gruwell.  After  due  and  careful  deliberation,  this 
committee,  through  its  chairman,  D.  O.  Shattuck,  pre- 
sented the  following  report,  which  was  adopted: 

The  Committee  on  the  State  of  the  Church,  to  which  was  re- 
ferred the  memorial  of  Dr.  E.  D.  Harris  and  others,  the  official 
members  and  laity  of  Santa  Rosa  Circuit,  beg  leave  to  report: 


296  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

That  they  have  been  seriously  impressed  with  the  importance 
of  the  questions  discussed  and  presented  in  said  memorial,  and 
have  given  the  subject  as  much  consideration  as  their  other  du- 
ties would  permit. 

We  admit  the  facts  alleged,  that  many  of  the  preachers  of  the 
Conference  entitled  to  ordination  remain  unordained,  and  agree 
with  the  conclusions  of  the  memorialists  that  the  Church  and 
also  the  unordained  preachers  suffer  thereby.  It  is  farther  ad- 
mitted that  these  evils  should  be  remedied  as  soon  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  do  so. 

We  also  concede  that  New  Testament  Bishops  and  Elders 
were  one  and  the  same  thing,  and  that  Elders  may  scripturally 
ordain  ministers;  and  if  our  Discipline  had  not  forbidden  the  ex- 
ercise of  these  powers,  except  in  a  certain  contingency  that  has 
not  happened,  we  should  not  hesitate  in  our  present  emergency 
to  recommend  the  ordination  of  all  those  entitled  thereto.  But 
having  made  our  vows,  not  to  mend  but  to  keep  them,  we  can- 
not ordain  without  revolution.  We  admit  the  right  of  revolu- 
tion whenever  it  is  deemed  necessary,  in  order — 

1.  To  perpetuate  our  existence  as  a  Church. 

2.  To  perform  our  duty  as  ministers  of  the  Church  of  God  in 
spreading  scriptural  holiness  over  these  lands. 

We  would  not  attempt  to  conceal  the  difficulties  which  our 
connection  with  the  Mother  Church,  in  the  present  convulsed 
state  of  our  nation,  throws  in  our  way.  They  need  not  be  mag- 
nified nor  enumerated.     They  are  known  and  felt  by  all  of  us. 

But  admitting  all  these  facts  and  conclusions,  the  question  of 
expediency  arises:  "  Whether  to  bear  the  ills  we  have,  or  fly  to 
others,"  the  effects  of  which  upon  our  beloved  Zion  we  know  not- 

Our  difficulties,  though  great,  are  not  so  numerous  or  unbeara- 
ble as  those  of  our  fathers  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  We 
have  some  ordained  ministers — they  had  none.  If  our  connection 
with  the  Mother  Church  raises  prejudices  against  us,  their  con- 
nection with  Mr.  Wesley,  of  known  opposition  to  the  rebellion, 
created  prejudices  against  them  of  greater  magnitude,  and  more 
general,  if  not  more  malignant.  Yet  they  bore  these  depriva- 
tions and  this  load  of  prejudice  for  seven  long  years  and  sur- 
vived them. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  297 

An  independent  Church  on  this  coast  by  many  for  years  has 
been  felt  as  a  necessity,  and  the  probability  is  that  if  our  last 
General  Conference  had  held  its  session,  and  especially  if  the 
delegates  from  this  Conference  had  attended  it,  the  act  of  inde- 
pendence would  have  been  consummated,  or  else  a  resident  Bish- 
op would  have  been  provided.  But  Providence  ordered  other- 
wise. 

If  a  General  Conference  could  now  be  held,  we  doubt  not  our 
plea  for  independence  would  be  admitted  and  the  act  performed. 
Nor  would  we  disguise  the  fact  that  our  independence  may  be- 
come a  necessity.  Should  the  Southern  States  be  subjugated,  a 
continued  connection  with  the  Mother  Church  would  hazard  our 
usefulness  here.  Should  the  independence  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy be  acknowledged,  a  separation  from  that  Church  might 
be  expedient,  perhaps  necessary.  And  in  view  of  these  facts, 
could  we  now  be  set  off  as  an  independent  Church,  your  com- 
mittee think  it  would  tend  to  our  prosperity  and  usefulness. 

But  the  question  of  revolution  is  a  more  serious  one,  and  should 
not  be  entertained  without  a  clear  and  harmonious  view  of  its 
necessity.  For  a  bare  majority  of  this  Conference  to  take  so  de- 
cided a  step  against  the  expressed  will  of  the  minority  would  be 
adding  an  element  of  strife  to  our  present  difficulties.  The  ques- 
tion is  too  new  to  expect  harmony  of  action  in  its  favor.  Com- 
paratively few  of  the  laity  or  clergy  seem  to  have  considered  it. 

The  memorialists,  though  highly  respectable  and  greatly  be- 
loved, compose  but  a  small  part  of  our  Church  on  the  Pacific,  and 
we  have  no  means  of  knowing  whether  a  majority  would  favor  it, 
while  we  hear  of  some  who  decidedly  oppose  all  innovation. 

In  view  of  all  the  facts,  your  committee  recommend  the  pas- 
sage of  the  following  resolutions: 

1.  While  our  connection  exists  with  the  Mother  Church,  and 
while  we  have  living  Bishops,  we  cannot  legally  ordain  by  Elders. 

2.  We  deem  it  inexpedient,  at  present,  to  change  our  Church 
relations. 

3.  That  A.  M.  Bailey  be  appointed  a  committee  to  correspond 
with  Bishop  Kavanaugh,  and  ascertain  the  probabilities  of  an 
early  Episcopal  visitation  to  this  coast,  we  pledging  ourselves  for 
his  expenses. 


29S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

4.  That  those  unordained,  in  charge  of  circuits,  be  requested 
and  instructed  to  inquire  for  and  ascertain  who  desire  baptism  on 
their  respective  works,  and  inform  the  presiding  elder  at  each 
quarterly  visitation,  with  a  view  to  its  consummation. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Pacific  Conference  was 
true  to  the  Mother  Church  in  the  most  trying  hour  of 
its  history.  The  unanimity  with  which  the  Conference 
voted  for  the  adoption  of  this  report  showed  the  heart 
of  the  preachers,  and  no  doubt  there  was  a  like  feeling 
in  the  vast  majority  of  the  laity.  Even  those  who 
prayed  for  a  change  felt  that  they  were  driven  to  it  only 
by  dire  necessity.  We  having  no  paper  at  the  time, 
the  Rev.  T.  M.  Johnson,  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  who  was  publishing  a  small  paper,  sent  a 
letter  to  the  Conference,  kindly  offering  the  columns  of 
his  paper  to  our  preachers  to  publish  any  Church  news 
we  might  desire. 

On  motion,  the  Secretary  was  directed  to  furnish  a 
list  of  Appointments,  and  any  other  matter  he  might 
think  proper,  for  publication  in   The  Presbyter. 

But  we  began  devising  plans  for  the  resurrection  of 
our  own  paper,  and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  was  requested  to 
confer  with  Wick  B.  Parsons  in  relation  to  rniblishing  a 
paper  for  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  on  this  coast. 

T.  D.  Clanton  presented  his  certificate  of  location 
from  the  Missouri  Conference,  and  was  re-admitted. 
He  filled  fourteen  regular  appointments,  and  then  took 
a  supernumerary  relation  to  the  Conference  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  located.  Brother  Clanton  was  a  sweet 
singer,  and  during  the  time  he  was  connected  with  the 
Conference  did  us  faithful  work. 

A  resolution  was  passed  by  the  Conference  requesting 
the  Bishop  to  transfer  A.  E.  Sears  and  J.  B.  Short,  both 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  299 

of  the  Missouri  Conference,  and  both  living  in  Oregon. 
This  was  subsequently  done  by  Bishop  Kavanaugh. 

In  view  of  the  unhappy  condition  of  the  country,  it 
was  resolved  to  appoint  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation, 
and  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  Church  and  country,  which 
was  carefully  observed  with  great  profit  by  many. 

The  correspondence  with  Bishop  Kavanaugh,  urging 
him  to  come  to  the  next  session  of  our  Conference,  had 
the  desired  effect,  and  he  hastened  to  us  as  soon  as  he 
could  arrange  his  matters  to  come.  As  soon  as  he  ar- 
rived there  was  a  buzz  of  excitement  in  certain  quar- 
ters. He  was  looked  upon  as  an  emissary  of  the  South, 
and  it  was  thought  that  his  coming  must  be  political. 
Some  one,  fired  with  more  zeal  than  knowledge,  more 
spleen  than  conscience,  went  before  the  military  au- 
thorities in  San  Francisco,  and,  under  oath,  made  such 
a  representation  of  the  objects  and  purposes  of  the 
Bishop's  visit  to  this  coast  as  to  induce  the  authorities 
to  order  his  arrest.  Knowing  that  there  would  be  va- 
rious representations,  even  by  friends,  of  this  important 
chapter  in  the  history  of  our  Church,  we  wrote  to  the 
Bishop  for  a  full  statement  of  the  facts,  and  received 
from  his  own  pen  the  following  rather  facetious  reply: 

Louisville,  Ky.,  Feb.  14,  1878. 

Rev.  John  C.  Simmons — My  Dear  Brother: — You  will 
please  excuse  me  for  my  very  long  neglect  of  your  favor  of  No- 
vember last.  The  last  j'ear  with  me  was  one  of  constant  activ- 
ity, ranging  through  Kentucky,  West  Virginia,  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, North  Carolina,  Illinois,  and  Arkansas.  I  had  not  time 
to  keep  up  my  correspondence,  which  greatly  increased  upon  me 
until  I  had  for  a  considerable  time  to  give  it  up  almost  entirely. 
And  now  since  my  Conferences  are  over,  I  have,  as  I  could  gain 
the  time,  been  writing  myself  out  of  debt.  I  am  now  nearing 
that  blest  shore. 


3°° 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


But  to  the  points  of  jour  inquiry  in  regard  to  my  arrest,  re- 
lease, etc. 

You  will  remember  that  during  the  war,  in  the  year  1864,  your 
Conference  appointed  a  committee  to  correspond  with  me  to  see 
if  I  could  not  be  induced  to  go  out  to  California  to  ordain  the 
preachers  eligible  to  orders — I  atjthe  time  being  the  only  accessible 
Bishop  to  you,  and  your  Conference  for  four  years  without  a 
Bishop,  and  by  consequence  your  preachers  eligible  to  orders 
without  ordination.  Seeing  your  condition,  I  determined  to  go 
to  you,  and  being  on  the  north  side  of  the  war-line,  went  to  New 
York  and  embarked  for  San  Francisco  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  in  California  and  entrance  upon  my 
duties,  correspondents  of  papers  commenced  an  insidious  attack 
upon  me,  insinuating  that  I  might  be  a  recruiting  officer  of  Jef- 
ferson Davis.  Upon  the  robbery  of  some  of  the  stages  of  the 
State,  it  was  generously  and  patriotically  suggested  that  the  Rebel 
Bishop  and  his  party  were  availing  themselves  of  this  means  to 
get  money  to  send  the  recruits  over  to  the  Southern  army  for  the 
service  of  the  Rebellion.  These  rumors  induced  the  editors  of 
papers  to  take  up  the  cudgel,  and  many  of  them  were  out  in  fu- 
rious terms  upon  the  Rebel  Bishop.  So  general  was  the  assault 
that  I  had  determined  to  go  myself  before  the  military  officers  in 
power  and  explain  my  presence  on  the  Pacific  Coast  and  my  only 
business  among  the  people.  But  before  I  reached  the  city,  and 
Avhile  I  was  at  a  camp-meeting  near  Copperopolis,  about  thirty 
miles  from  Stockton,  the  conscience  of  some  zealot  required  him 
to  go  to  the  office  of  the  Provost  Marshal  in  San  Francisco,  and, 
as  I  suppose,  on  oath,  testified  that  "  I  was  a  citizen  of  Georgia, 
had  crossed  the  military  lines  by  a  Confederate  pass,  and  was  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  without  any  visible  business,  and  therefore  sup- 
posed to  be  a  political  emissary  of  Jeff".  Davis." 

These  charges  being  presented  to  General  McDowell,  he  sent 
an  officer  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  to  bring  me  before  the 
Provost  Marshal  of  San  Francisco.  This  office  was  then  filled 
by  General  Mason,  of  the  United  States  Army.  Captain  Jack- 
son was  sent  to  make  the  arrest.  I  was  in  the  habit  of  lodging 
at  night  at  a  public  house  in  Copperopolis.  The  Captain  arrived 
at  my  lodsfinir  a  little  after   breakfast.     Brother  Burchard — then 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  301 

the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Stockton  District — and  I  had  taken  a 
walk  to  some  mining-grounds,  and  were  collecting  some  speci- 
mens of  mining-quartz  and  some  crystallized  quartz.  On  our 
return  to  the  house  I  was  informed  that  there  were  a  couple  of 
gentlemen  there  that  wished  to  see  me.  The  gentlemen  soon 
made  their  appearance.  I  noticed  that  one  of  them  seemed  to 
scrutinize  me  with  serious  and  interested  look,  approached  me, 
and  said  that  he  desired  a  private  interview  with  me,  and  pro- 
posed that  we  should  go  hehind  a  house  that  stood  not  far  from 
the  hotel,  and  said,  "IJiave  no  objection  that  your  friend  should 
go  with  you."  I  had  no  idea  of  being  arrested — thought  proba- 
bly the  gentleman  wished  to  get  married,  and  was  in  search  of  a 
parson;  but  after  we  got  secreted  behind  the  house,  he  informed 
me  that  General  McDowell  had  sent  him  to  take  charge  of  mv 
person  and  property,  and  take  me  to  San  Francisco.  I  told  him 
I  would  go  with  him — that  it  was  my  next  day's  destination  by 
my  own  arrangement.  We  then  retired  to  my  room,  where  he 
searched  me  to  see  what  papers  he  could  find  upon  my  person, 
and  took  charge  of  my  baggage.  Brother  Burchard  told  the  Cap- 
tain that  I  had  an  appointment  to  preach  at  11  o'clock  on  the 
camp-ground.  He  said,  "Very  well;  I  will  stay  and  hear  the 
Bishop."  He  charged  us  very  seriously  and  earnestly  to  keep 
the  fact  of  my  arrest  a  profound  secret.  We  thought  the  caution 
a  very  wise  one.  The  knowledge  of  the  fact  would  have  pro- 
duced a  great  excitement,  which  wre  were  anxious  as  well  as  he 
to  prevent.  We  all  then  went  to  the  meeting.  I  preached,  and 
the  meeting  closed.  Captain  Jackson  had  taken  from  me  a  writ- 
ten pledge  that  I  would  meet  him  the  next  day  at  Stockton,  and 
to  Stockton  he  went  one  road,  and  Burchard  and  I  another.  We 
went  that  night  to  where  before  we  had  been  entertained — at  the 
house  of  General  Douglas,  an  emigrant  from  Tennessee.  Burch- 
ard and  Douglas  being  Masons,  Burchard  put  him  upon  the 
square,  and  told  him  of  my  arrest.  The  General  came  to  me, 
and  said,  "  Bishop,  where  is  your,  baggage?"  I  told  him  that  I 
had  met  a  couple  of  gentlemen  at  the  camp-meeting  who  were  so 
polite  as  to  take  my  baggage  for  me  to  Stockton,  smiling  when  I 
said  it,  for  I  knew  what  he  meant,  and  was  bound  not  to  explain, 
and  he  returned  the  smile. 


302  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

On  the  next  day  we  went  on  to  Stockton,  and  found  the  steam- 
er for  San  Francisco  at  the  wharf,  the  Captain  not  having  jet  ar- 
rived. In  due  time,  however,  he  came  aboard.  He  told  me  that 
he  was  instructed  by  General  McDowell  to  treat  me  very  re- 
spectfully, which  he  was  all  the  time  careful  to  do,  never  indicat- 
ing that  he  had  any  control  or  authority  over  me;  and  that  if  he 
ever  used  a  by-word  in  my  presence,  he  would  apologize.  We  as- 
sociated as  very  agreeable  companions,  and  became  mutually  at- 
tached before  we  reached  our  destination.  Some  time  after  we 
met  on  the  boat  he  asked  me  whether  he  should  pay  my  passage 
and  secure  my  state-room,  or  would  I  prefer  to  provide  for  my- 
self. I  told  him  that  I  would  pay  my  own  way.  Finding  that 
state-rooms  were  scarce,  I  had  the  Captain  assigned  to  my  room. 
He  was  a  larger  man  than  myself.  When  we  retired  to  bed,  I 
suggested  that  he  take  the  lower  berth.  He  laughed  heartily, 
and  said,  "  I  understand  your  politeness — you  are  afraid  that  I 
may  break  down  upon  you."  I  told  him  I  thought  it  would  be 
something  of  a  calamitv.  and  that  he  did  not  credit  me  much  for 
my  politeness. 

Our  boat  reached  San  Francisco  in  the  night;  so  when  we 
awoke  in  the  morning  we  were  at  the  wharf.  I  arose  and  dressed 
myself — he  still  asleep.  I  awoke  him,  and  said,  "  Captain,  I  am 
about  to  leave  you,  Captain,  and  thought  I  would  let  you  know 
it."  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  meet  me  at  my  office  at  12  o'clock."  "  I'll 
do  so;  good-morning."  At  the  hour  of  twelve  I  reported  at  his 
office,  Brother  Andrew  M.  Bailey  with  me.  He  now  opened  my 
baggage,  examined  my  letters,  and  whatever  documents  I  had. 
Among  other  things  he  got  hold  of  a  little  book  I  had,  in  which 
I  noted  at  what  places  and  on  what  subjects  I  had  preached.  He 
examined  this  so  long  that  Brother  Bailey  remarked,  "Bishop,  I 
think  the  Captain  is  disposed  to  study  preaching  a  little."  Get- 
ting through  this  examination,  he  proposed  to  take  me  to  the 
Provost  Marshal.  So  delicate  was  he  in  his  manners  toward 
me  that,  in  taking  me  to  the  next  officer,  he  would  not  walk  with 
me,  but  was  studious  to  be  either  before  me  or  behind,  so  that  he 
and  Brother  Bailey  reached  the  office  of  the  Provost  a  little 
ahead  of  me.  I  then  entered,  and  was  introduced  to  General 
Mason.     I  did   not  hear   Captain  Jackson   tell  the  General   any 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  30^ 

thing.     Brother  Bailey  told  me  afterward  that  when  he  met  the 
General  he  simply  said,  "  I  found  nothing." 

The  truth  is,  about  the  only  dread  I  had  was  coming  before 
the  Provost  Marshal.  In  Kentucky  this  office  was  uniformly 
filled  by  persons  of  narrow,  contracted,  and  bigoted  minds,  whose 
rule  of  judgment  was  under  the  control  of  a  blind  and  bitter 
prejudice,  giving  but  the  slightest  chance  for  justice,  much  less 
for  mercy.  I  was  afraid  of  nothing  else.  I  was  not  an  offender 
against  the  Government — nothing  but  falsehood  and  prejudice 
could  convict  me.  So  soon  as  I  had  a  sight  of  the  person  of 
General  Mason  I  was  perfectly  quiet  in  my  mind.  The  structure 
of  his  head,  the  manly  form  of  his  features,  gave  me  assurance 
that  the  little,  the  low,  and  the  base  were  not  there.  I  was  qui- 
eted all  through  at  once — was  afraid  of  nothing.  Every  thing 
about  the  man  showed  that  he  was  qualified  for  the  sacred  trust 
assigned  him.  I  found  that  the  promise  of  his  appearance  was 
fully  redeemed  in  his  conduct.  He  asked  me  into  his  room,  and 
to  be  seated;  and  thsre,  alone,  he  disclosed  to  me  the  charges 
upon  which  I  was  arrested — which  charges  I  have  already  given, 
concerning  my  being  a  citizen  of  Georgia,  crossing  the  military 
lines  with  a  Confederate  pass,  being  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  etc. 
On  finishing  his  statements,  I  said  to  him:  "General,  your  wit- 
ness has  not  learned  to  lie  after  the  manner  of  his  master;  he 
generally  puts  in  a  little  truth  to  gloss  and  give  plausibility  to 
falsehood.  This  is  a  fabrication  from  the  beginning  to  the  end. 
I  am  a  native  of  Kentucky — never  lived  out  of  the  State  but  two 
years  in  my  life,  and  those  two  I  spent  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  When  I  came  to  this  coast  I  had  no  military  lines  to 
cross — of  course  had  no  pass  to  cross  the  lines.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  of  which  I  am  a  Bishop,  has  an  An- 
nual Conference  on  this  coast — had  been  four  years  without  a 
Bishop.  A  number  of  young  ministers  were  eligible  to  deacon's 
and  elder's  orders  in  the  Church — could  not  administer  the  sacra- 
ments of  the  Church  without  ordination.  The  presence  of  a 
Bishop  was  a  necessity  to  the  Church,  and  so  much  was  this  felt 
that  the  Conference  appointed  a  committee  to  correspond  with 
me,  to  see  if  I  could  not  be  induced  to  come  out  here  and  relieve 
them.     In  compliance  with  their  wishes   I  came,  and  that  is  my 


304  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

only  business  here.  So  far,  therefore,  from  having  no  visible 
business  here,  I  have  a  specific  business  to  which  I  have  been 
giving  my  attention,  not  in  a  corner,  but  after  due  notification, 
and  before  large  congregations." 

General  Mason  then  remarked,  "  Bishop,  I  think  it"  you  will 
write  these  statements  down,  they  will  be  satisfactory  to  General 
McDowell."  I  replied,  "  I  will  write  them.  To  whom  shall  I 
report  them?"  He  said,  '•  To  me,  and  I  will  report  them  to  Gen- 
eral McDowell."  I  wrote  out  the  statements  and  gave  them  to 
the  Provost  Marshal,  and  he  took  them  to  McDowell.  I  said  to 
General  Mason,  "When  you  see  General  McDowell,  please  say 
to  him  that  I  would  like  to  see  him,  because  I  think  I  know  his 
relations  in  Kentucky  largely."  General  McDowell  sent  me 
word  that  he  could  see  me  the  next  day  at  one  o'clock.  So  at 
the  appointed  time,  having  Brother  Bailey  with  me,  I  presented 
myself  at  the  General's  office.  He  arose,  and  met  me  at  the 
door,  and  said,  "  How  are  you,  Bishop?"  "  Very  well,  I  thank 
you;  how  are  you,  General?"  "Very  well."  Brother  Bailey 
being  introduced,  we  were  invited  to  seats.  I  said,  "  General,  I 
have  come  to  see  you,  not  in  regard  to  my  case — that  I  supposed 
you  would  settle  before  I  should  see  you — but  because  of  my  sup- 
posed large  acquaintance  with  your  relations  in  my  native  State. 
Since  I  see  you,  I  am  assured  that  I  am  not  mistaken — you  are 
so  clearly  marked  by  family  resemblance  as  to  settle  the  question 
of  your  relation  to  the  Kentucky  McDowells."  He  said,  "  O 
yes>;  my  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  I  once  attempted 
to  count  my  cousins  in  that  State,  and  went  up  to  thirty-two,  and 
thought  I  would  stop."  We  had  a  very  pleasant  conversation 
about  Kentucky  relatives,  friends,  etc. 

Brother  Bailey  then  said,  "  General,  the  Bishop  has  an  ap- 
pointment at  San  Jose  on  next  Sunday.  I  wish  you  would  let 
him  go  and  fill  it.  The  fact  is,  you  will  have  to,  or  go  and  fill  it 
vourself,  for  we  do  not  like  to  fill  the  Bishop's  appointments." 
The  General  said,  "  O  I  do  not  care  where  the  Bishop  is,  so  he 
lets  me  know  where  he  is."  I  told  him  the  week  after  that  I  had  an- 
other appointment  at  Gilroy,  some  thirty  or  thirty-five  miles  far- 
ther. He  replied,  "  It  makes  no  odds."  I  suppose  he  had  deter- 
mined to  release  me.  and  wanted  to  know  where   to  address  me. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  305 

I  then  reminded  the  General  that  on  coming  in  I  had  stated  to 
him  that  I  did  not  come  to  see  him  about  my  own  case,  but  since 
I  was  there,  if  there  was  any  point  on  which  I  had  not  given  him 
satisfaction  that  I  hoped  he  would  then  interrogate  me  to  any 
extent  he  pleased.  I  saw  my  written  statement  lying  on  his 
table.  He  reached  out  his  hand  and  laid  it  on  the  document,  and 
said,  "  Bishop,  your  communication  is  perfectly  satisfactory;  but 
what  are  you,  a  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  doing  away  out  here  on  this  extreme  Western  coast? n 
My  answer  was,  "  We  have  a  Conference  out  here  which  was 
organized  when  California  was  a  Territory,  and  when  the 
Churches  North  and  South  might  regard  it  as  common  ground 
until  it  should  become  a  State  and  settle  the  question  as  to  wheth- 
er it  should  become  a  free  or  a  slave-holding  State.  After  it  be- 
came a  State,  and  determined  it  should  be  a  free  State,  we  then 
started  the  question  whether  we  should  abandon  the  field;  but 
our  people  begged  us  for  their  souls'  sake  to  stay  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  them.  If  we  did  not,  they  would  have  to  hear  it  from 
Abolitionists  or  not  hear  it  all — that  they  could  not,  would  not 
hear  it  from  Abolitionists.  For  their  souls'  sake,  then,  we  staid." 
"But,"  said  the  General,  "the  North  and  the  South  are  at  war." 
I  replied,  "A  pretty  palpable  fact,  General;  but  I  hope  you  are 
not  going  to  charge  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  with 
the  war,  when  the  Church  was  organized  in  1845,  and  the  war 
commenced  in  1S61."  He  said  it  was  the  opinion  of  able  politi- 
cians that  the  division  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
the  entering  wedge  that  brought  on  the  war.  I  told  him  that  if 
it  were  the  fact,  the  North  drove  in  the  wedge.  The  South  was 
opposed  to  the  separation  of  the  Church  and  the  agitation  of  the 
question  that  induced  it;  but  nothing  could  induce  silence  on  the 
subject,  and  no  threatened  consequences  could  change  or  modify 
the  Abolition  rage  until  the  fatal  war  ensued.  Again,  the  Gen- 
eral said,  "  Why  is  it  that  you  append  the  word  '  South '  to  your 
Church?  It  is  offensive,  and  stirs  up  prejudice  against  it."  I  ex- 
plained: "The  word  'South,'  as  appended  to  the  name  of  our 
Church,  has  but  two  significations.  1.  It  is  geographical;  the 
Church  divided  on  a  line  running  mainly  east  and  west.  Our 
Church  was  on  the  southern  side  of  the  line,  which  was  suggestive 

20 


306  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

of  the  South.  2.  It  is  a  Church  designation.  On  the  separation 
of  the  Church  it  Avas  thought  to  be  best  and  safest  that  the  north- 
ern side  of  the  line  should  retain  the  original  name,  as  the  prin- 
cipal property  of  the  Church,  which  was  held  as  the  joint  prop- 
erty of  the  Church — viz.,  such  as  the  publishing  houses,  chartered 
fund,  and  property  pertaining  to  missions,  etc. — was  located  in  the 
North.  The  Southern  portion  of  the  Church  asked  no  change 
in  the  Discipline  of  the  Church.  The  North  would  have  it,  cost 
what  it  might.  Hence,  in  the  division,  the  original  name  was 
granted  to  them.  The  Church,  South,  fond  of  her  old  name, 
thought  she  would  change  it  as  little  as  possible,  and  at  the  Con- 
vention held  for  the  purpose  of  considering  whether  the  circum- 
stances demanded  for  our  safety  a  division  of  the  Church,  this 
question  was  left  for  the  South  to  determine.  The  membership 
had  voted  six  to  one  in  favor  of  a  new  organization.  Obeying 
their  behest,  the  Convention  ordained  a  separate  organization. 
When  they  came  to  settle  on  the  name,  they  called  it  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  taking  the  old  name  entire,  and 
then,  after  a  comma,  added  the  word  '  South.'  And  this,  Gen- 
eral, is  all  that  the  word  means  with  us." 

The  General  still  urged  his  objections  to  the  word  "South," 
and  asked  my  opinion  of  it  as  a  Church  designation.  I  told  him 
I  had  no  partialities  for,  and  some  objections  to,  it.  "My  objec- 
tion to  it  is  that  it  is  a  sectional  name,  when  a  Church  should  be 
for  the  benefit  of  the  world."  He  was  pleased  that  I  had  the  ob- 
jection, and  urged  that  it  was  unwise  in  us  to  adopt  and  adhere 
to  it — it  brought  down  upon  us  so  much  hostile  feeling,  sectional, 
political,  and  partisan.  He  kept  up  such  a  war  upon  the  word 
"  South  "  that  at  length  I  became  a  little  excited,  and  said,  "  I 
hope,  sir,  that  you  will  not  decide  my  case  upon  that  naked  word 
'  South.'"  He  flushed  a  little  in  his  face,  and  said,  "  Don't  call  it 
that  'naked  word.' "  I  replied,  "  You  have  repeated  it  so  often 
as  to  suggest  that  phraseology."  I  saw  that  the  subject  was  be- 
coming unpleasant,  and  I  thought  it  wisdom  to  change  the  sub- 
ject (for  my  case  was  not  decided  yet),  and  a  pleasant  state  of 
feeling  again  ensued. 

It  occurred  to  me  that  the  General  had  been  very  much  an- 
noyed by  repeated  complaints  of  persons,  blind   with  prejudice 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  307 

and  bitter  in  feeling,  trying  to  involve  the  subjects  of  their  sus- 
picion. I  said,  "General,  you  are  old  enough  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  blindness  and  bitterness  that  grow  out  of  narrow- 
minded  prejudice  and  bigotry."  The  suggestion  seemed  to  re- 
vive a  recollection  of  a  sad  experience,  and  he  replied  in  tones  of 
grief  and  disgust,  "O  I  do,  I  do."  I  thought  that  such  had  been 
the  complaints  pressed  upon  him  that  his  representation  was  but 
an  echo  of  what  he  was  continually  hearing. 

The  General  and  I  parted  in  a  pleasant  state  of  feeling.  I 
never  did  blame  him  or  any  other  officer  concerned  in  my  arrest. 
They  not  only  treated  me  with  respect,  but  with  reverence. 
Their  entire  bearing  was  gentlemanly  and  kind. 

On  closing  this  interview  I  went  (as  permitted)  to  San  Jose  to 
fill  an  appointment.  While  here  a  Negro  man  was  driving  me 
around  in  the  city — took  me  to  the  post-office,  where  I  received 
my  release  from  General  McDowell.  The  release  was  uncondi- 
tioned and  unqualified.  I  asked  my  driver  if  he  ever  had  any 
free-papers.  He  said  he  had.  I  told  him  that  until  now  I  never 
had  any,  but  had  just  received  mine. 

In  the  document  of  release  the  General  says:  "The  word 
'  South '  being  appended  to  the  name  of  the  Bishop's  Church  may 
explain  to  him  a  great  deal  of  the  persecution  he  has  suffered."  On 
this  item  the  witty  and  satirical  News  Letter,  of  San  Francisco, 
remarked:  "The  General  is  right.  It  won't  do  to  have  any  more 
South  hereafter  nohow.  In  this  city  we  have  South  Park — that 
must  be  pulled  out  and  cast  into  the  Bay.  And  there  is  that 
South  Pole  sticking  in  this  globe — that  must  be  pulled  out  and 
thrown  away.     It  will  not  do  to  have  any  more  South." 

You  will  remember  that  after  it  was  all  over  I  published  an 
account  of  the  whole  affair.  If  I  have  the  documents  I  do  not 
know  where  to  find  them,  and  hence  I  write  this  whole  account 
from  memory.  Some  one  told  me,  when  last  ir.  California,  that 
he  or  she,  whoever  it  was,  had  all  these  documents  in  preserva- 
tion.    Were  you  to  advertise  for  them,  I  think  ycu  would  get  them. 

I  do  not  know  that  you  will  have  any  use  for  all  that  I  have 
written;  but  I  thought  I  would  give  you  the  wlrole  narrative,  and 
that  you  might  use  it  or  not  at  your  own  discretion.  Very  truly 
yours,  H.  II   Kavaxaugh. 


30S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

This  arrest  took  place  on  July  19,  1864,  at  a  camp- 
meeting  held  near  the  town  of  Copperopolis,  some  thir- 
ty miles  above  Stockton.  Had  not  the  whole  matter 
been  managed  as  quietly  and  as  prudently  as  it  was,  no 
doubt  the  most  serious  consequences  would  have  fol- 
lowed. The  most  intense  excitement  prevailed  in  the 
breasts  of  many  on  both  sides.  Many  who  made  no 
profession  of  religion,  and  who  had  watched  the  course 
and  conduct  of  our  Church  and  preachers  during 
all  the  years  of  the  war,  felt  to  indorse  us  in  our 
efforts  to  keep  the  Church  free  from  political  entangle- 
ments. They  saw  how  earnestly  we  were  laboring  for 
the  salvation  of  souls,  and  with  what  favor  God  re- 
garded us,  as  manifested  in  the  success  that  attended 
our  ministry.  They  also  saw  how  bitter  was  the  feel- 
ing in  other  Churches  against  us;  and  it  required  but  a 
spark  to  inflame  them  beyond  the  power  of  control. 

To  show  the  feelings  of  our  enemies,  as  expressed  in 
the  religious  press  of  the  period,  we  give  a  quotation 
from  The  Pacific,  a  paper  published  by  a  body  of  Con- 
gregationalist  ministers,  the  motto  of  whose  paper  was: 
"First  Pure,  then  Peaceable — without  Partiality,  and 
without  Hypocrisy."  In  an  editorial  headed,  "A  Rebel 
Bishop  in  California,"  they  say: 

We  noticed  some  time  since  frhat  Bisnop  Kavanaugh,  of  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church,  landed  on  this  coast.  The  Bishop 
presides  over  a  Church  made  up  wholly  of  Rehels.  His  home  is 
among  them.  So  far  as  we  know  he  is  entirely  identified  with 
the  Rebellion.  In  what  way  he  came  through  the  Union  lines, 
what  pretenses  availed  to  transfer  him  from  disloyal  to  loyal  terri- 
tory, whether  he  passed  openly  or  clandestinely,  we  know  not;  nor 
do  we  know  what  special  occasion  called  him  here.  There  is  not  a 
fragment  of  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  left  in  this  State.     It 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  309 

has  long  since  ceased  to  be  in  the  main  a  power  for  any  thing  but 
evil.  Some  of  its  edifices  have  been  sold,  others  are  deserted, 
and  what  of  this  denomination  remains  represents  a  hopeless, 
dying  concern — but  distinguished  in  death  as  in  life  for  venomous 
hostility  to  the  Union.  Its  secession  from  the  loyal  Methodist 
Church  was  a  sign  of  the  treason  which  culminated  in  an  open 
attempt  to  destroy  the  Union.  Nor  does  the  new  name,  "  Pacific 
Methodists,"  recently  adopted,  in  any  way  change  the  character 
of  the  organization.  The  heart  of  the  thing  is  treasonable.  It 
is  the  blighted  branch  of  a  Church  on  which  is  the  blood  of 
thousands  of  brave  men  who  have  fallen  in  defense  of  the  Union. 
To  come,  therefore,  in  this  crisis  to  preside  over  such  a  concern, 
in  a  loyal  State,  in  the  ordinary  capacity  of  a  Bishop,  seems  at 
first  like  a  pious  comedy.  If  it  has  more  significance,  it  is  be- 
cause treason  is  never  a  comedy. 

These  "  scattered  sheep  "  need  no  fold.  They  are  the  wolves 
trained  by  their  teachers  here,  as  well  as  at  the  South,  to  howl  at 
loyal  men  and  to  bite  in  secret  only  because  courage  and  oppor- 
tunity are  lacking  to  do  it  openly.  What  good  can  come,  then, 
from  this  visit?  Will  the  Bishop  enjoin  obedience  and  fidelity  to 
the  lawful  Government  of  the  country?  If  he  does,  the  lines  of 
the  Southern  army  of  traitors  will  never  open  to  receive  him 
again.  Will  he  pray  for  the  President  of  the  United  States,  or 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Constitution?  If  he  does,  he  will  be 
doomed  to  stay  on  the  soil  of  patriots.  Will  he,  coming  from 
the  very  bosom  of  the  Rebellion,  indorse  by  act  or  speech,  or 
even  by  his  reticence,  the  cause  of  Disunion?  It  is  fair  to  pre- 
sume that  he  comes  to  this  coast,  by  virtue  of  his  position  and  lo- 
cation, as  one  having  complicity  with  Rebels.  His  official  sanc- 
tion has  given  them  aid  and  comfort.  Would  a  loyal  Bishop  be 
allowed  to  go  South,  in  advance  of  the  Union  army,  to  look  after 
loyal  Church-members?  By  no  means.  Why,  then,  does  a  dis- 
loyal Bishop  come  here  to  look  after  disloyal  members?  We 
should  be  glad  to  welcome  the  Bishop  as  an  embassador  for 
Christ.  Before  we  do  that,  however,  we  ask  him  to  take  the  oath 
of  fidelity  to  the  Union.  The  men  in  these  days  who,  in  the  best 
sense,  are  loyal  to  God.  are  also  loyal  to  their  country. 


310  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Such  articles  as  these  from  the  religious  press  of  the 
vState  had  stirred  men  on  both  sides,  and  it  required  but 
little  to  have  roused  them  to  bloodshed.  The  chief  act- 
ors in  this  scene  well  knew  it,  and  wisely  kept  their 
movements  from  the  public.  No  one,  as  he  sat  and 
listened  to  the  burning  eloquence  of  the  Bishop  that 
day  at  the  Copperopolis  camp-meeting,  would  ever  have 
thought  that  he  was  then  under  arrest,  and  that  the  officer 
under  whose  control  he  was  was  sitting  in  the  audience. 

The  letter  referred  to  in  the  Bishop's  article,  written 
to  General  Mason,  was  as  follows: 

Sax  Francisco,  Cal.,  July  20,  1864. 
Brigadier-general  John  S.  Mason,  Assistant  Provost  Marshal: 

Getter  al — Dear  Sir:  I  arrived  in  California  a  few  weeks  ago  on 
business  exclusively  connected  with  the  Church  of  which  I  am  a 
member,  and  am  here  on  no  political  mission  of  any  character 
whatever. .  I  am  a  native  of  Kentucky,  in  which  State  I  have  re- 
sided all  my  life,  with  the  exception  of  about  two  years  passed 
in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  The  printed  Minutes  of  ouV  Church 
will  show  my  whereabouts  from  the  year  1823  to  1854,  when  I 
was  elected  to  the  Episcopacy.  From  that  time  to  this  my  resi- 
dence has  been  at  Versailles,  Kentucky.  Since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Avar  I  have  never  crossed  the  military  lines,  nor  en- 
tered any  State  in  rebellion,  except  on  a  visit  to  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, then  in  possession  of  the  Federal  troops  and  under  their 
control,  together  with  the  whole  line  of  road  from  my  residence 
to  that  city.  I  have  never  been  a  politician,  nor  in  any  manner 
participated  actively  in  political  affairs,  and  have  never  preached 
politics,  either  befcn-e  or  since  the  war.  On  the  contrary,  I  have 
invariably  discouraged  it  in  the  ministry  of  the  Church  over 
which  I  had,  in  some  sense,  the  supervision.  For  the  truth  of 
this  statement  I  appeal  to  all  who  have  ever  heard  me,  or  know 
my  conduct  on  this  coast  or  elsewhere. 

The  particular  occasion  of  my  present  visit  to  California  is  as 
follows:  The  Pacific  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  has  been  for  four  years  without  the  presence  of  a 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  311 

Bishop.  During  this  period  a  number  of  the  members  of  the 
body  were  elected  to  the  order  of  deacons  and  elders  in  the 
Church,  and  for  want  of  ordination  could  not  administer  the  sac- 
raments of  the  Church.  This  ordination  became  an  imperative 
necessity.  The  Conference  passed  a  resolution  appointing  the 
Rev.  A.  M.  Bailey  to  correspond  with  me  on  the  subject  of  a 
visit  to  this  coast  to  ordain  these  ministers.  This  resolution  is  on 
the  records  of  the  Conference,  and  is  mentioned  in  the  corre- 
spondence between  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bailey  and  myself.  This  cor- 
respondence with  me  was  ordered  because  I  was  the  only  access- 
ible Bishop  able  to  travel  so  far  and  perform  the  functions  of  the 
office.  I  came  here  on  this  business  alone,  and  on  no  mission, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  connected  with  politics  or  the  war, 
and,  least  of  all,  to  stir  up  dissension  or  encourage  opposition  to 
the  Government  or  its  laws.  Residing  as  I  do  in  Kentucky,  where 
great  diversity  of  opinion  prevails  in  regard  to  the  war,  I  have 
deemed  it  my  duty  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  not  only  to  ab- 
stain from  participating  in  political  affairs,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
to  mitigate  as  far  as  practicable  the  asperity  of  feeling  which 
prevails  so  widely  in  that  State.  I  have  deemed  mine  to  be  a 
mission  of  love  and  peace,  and  have  so  acted,  both  there  and 
here.  So  far  as  I  know,  my  conduct  has  never  been  questioned 
in  Kentucky  by  the  military  authorities,  where  I  have  lived  so 
long  and  am  so  widely  known,  notwithstanding  the  intense  ex- 
citement which  has  prevailed  in  that  State. 

Under  the  circumstances,  I  find  myself,  comparatively  a  stran- 
ger on  this  coast,  and  far  from  my  home,  suddenly  arraigned  be- 
fore the  military  authorities  on  charges  preferred  by  persons 
wholly  unknown  to  me.  That  I  am  deeply  pained  by  this  pro- 
ceeding I  candidly  confess — not  so  much  because  of  any  personal 
injury  to  myself,  as  because  of  the  reproach  it  brings.;  on  my  sa- 
cred calling  and  on  the  Church  with  which  I  am  connected.  I 
acknowledge,  however,  with  pleasure,  the  courtesy  which  has 
been  extended  to  me  by  all  the  officers  connected  with  the  affair. 
And  trusting  that  this  explanation  of  my  conduct  and  motives 
may  prove  satisfactory,  I  am  very  respectfully  yours, 

H.  H.  Kavanaugh. 


31- 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


This  affair  did  us  no  harm  as  a  Church,  but  brought 
us  more  prominently  before  the  general  public  as  a 
branch  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  whose  distinct- 
ive feature  is  non-interference  with  politics,  actuated 
by  the  sole  desire  to  spread  scriptural  holiness  over 
the  land.  Very  many  and  unjust  things  were  said  of  us 
in  the  secular  as  well  as  the  religious  press — things  we 
do  not  now  wish  to  recall — and  only  a  desire  to  be 
faithful  to  the  history  of  this  period  has  impelled  us  to 
write  what  we  have. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  1864,  soon  after  the  Bishop's  ar- 
rival, he  called  for  those  preachers  who  had  been  elect- 
ed to  orders  to  meet  him  at  the  Stone  Church,  on  the 
Suisun  Circuit.  Of  these,  John  W.  Simmons,  John  M. 
Ward,  George  Sim,  Joseph  Emory,  James  M.  Lovell, 
Green  M.  Edwards,  Thomas  S.  Burnett,  Benjamin  F. 
Burris,  William  A.  Spurlock,  and  Samuel  Brown,  were 
ordained  deacons;  and  Samuel  Brown,  John  W.  Sim- 
mons, John  M.  Ward,  Joseph  Emory,  and  George  Sim, 
were  ordained  elders. 

No  one  could  estimate  the  benefit  derived  by  our 
Church  on  this  coast  by  this  visit  of  Bishop  Kavanaugh. 
He  strengthened  our  hands  and  encouraged  our  hearts 
wherever  he  went.  The  following  resolution  was  of- 
fered in  Conference,  and  passed  by  a  rising,  unanimous 
vote : 

Resolved,  That  as  a  Conference  we  hailed  with  peculiar  pleas- 
ure the  second  visit  of  Bishop  Kavanaugh  to  the  Pacific  Coast; 
that  his  labors  among  us  have  been  highly  edifying  to  our 
people;  that  his  presence  and  counsels  have  greatly  strength- 
ened our  hands  and  encouraged  our  hearts;  that  his  administra- 
tion as  presiding  officer  of  our  Conference  has  to  the  greatest 
degree  been  satisfactory  and  beneficial;  and  now  that  the  claims 
of  the  Church  elsewhere  imperatively  call  him  away  from  us, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  313 

he  Will  carry  with  him  our  affections,  will  be  followed  by  our 
prayers  for  his  continued  prosperity  and  usefulness;  and  that, 
should  he  find  it  compatible  with  his  duty  to  return  and  make  his 
permanent  abode  among  us,  it  would  be  at  once  a  matter  of  uni- 
versal gratification  to  our  people  and  an  omen  of  good  to  the 
cause  of  God  on  this  coast. 

To  this  he  feelingly  responded. 


314  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

^HE  fourteenth  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference 
was  held  in  Sacramento,  September  1,  1864, 
r~jM  Bishop  H.  H.  Kavanaugh  presiding.  J.  C.  Stew- 
art, who  had  acted  as  Secretary  for  four  consecutive 
years,  was  not  present,  and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  was  elected 
Secretary. 

But  one  young  man  presented  himself  for  admission 
on  trial  at  this  session.  This  was  William  A.  Finley, 
the  first  graduate  of  Pacific  Methodist  College  that  had 
applied  for  admission  into  the  ranks  of  the  itinerancy. 
He  traveled  one  year  in  California,  when  he  was  called 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  Corvallis  College,  in  Oregon. 
He  remained  at  the  head  of  this  institution  till  the  year 
1872,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence, and  put  in  charge  of  the  Gilroy  High  School. 
While  President  of  the  Corvallis  College  he  had  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  conferred  upon  him 
by  Wofford  College,  South  Carolina,  being  the  young- 
est man  to  receive  this  title  that  has  ever  been  amongst 
us.  He  remained  in  charge  of  the  Gilroy  High  School 
for  two  years,  when  that  enterprise  was  abandoned,  and 
he  was  put  in  charge  of  Stockton  Station.  He  filled 
this  station  for  two  years,  when  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  Pacific  Methodist  College,  which  position  he 
filled  until  1883.  He  located  in  1884,  and  started  a  fe- 
male school  in  the  town  of  Santa  Rosa. 

The   districts  in  Oregon  were  so   far  removed   from 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  315 

the  seat  of  the  Conference,  and  the  expense  of  travel 
to  and  from  the  Conference  was  so  great,  that  the  un- 
dergraduates in  that  part  of  the  work  selected  a  com- 
mittee of  examination  among  the  preachers  there,  and 
held  their  examinations,  sending  their  report  to  Confer- 
ence. Hence  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  by 
the  Conference: 

Whereas,  our  brethren  in  Oregon  are  so  far  removed  from  us 
that  it  is  inconvenient  for  them  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the 
Conference;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  adopt  the  examination  of  the  undergradu- 
ates, made  by  a  committee  there,  and  reported  to  this  Conference. 

The  China  Mission,  during  these  years  of  war,  being 
cut  off  from  communication  with  the  home  Church,  felt 
very  deeply  its  isolation.  Dr.  Young  J.  Allen,  having 
been  a  classmate  of  J.  W.  Simmons,  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  our  Conference,  was  in  communication  with 
him,  and  by  permission  Brother  Simmons  made  a  state- 
ment to  the  Conference  respecting  information  recent- 
ly received  from  the  China  Mission,  and  concluded  by 
offering  the  following  resolutions,  which  were  adopted: 

Resolved,  i.  That  we,  the  members  of  the  Pacific  Conference, 
do  extend  to  our  beloved  brethen,  Young  J.  Allen  and  Wood,  in 
our  China  Mission,  our  warmest  sympathies  and  earnest  prayers 
to  God  for  their  continued  protection  and  prosperity. 

2.  That  we,  the  members  of  the  Pacific  Conference,  will,  on 
the  secend  Sunday  of  December  next,  take  up  a  collection  for 
the  benefit  of  our  China  Mission. 

One  feature  of  our  connection  with  the  China  Mis- 
sion should  not  be  overlooked.  In  the  year  1856  O.  P. 
Fitzgerald  was  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Sonora  Cir- 
cuit. He  made  an  appointment  at  Shaw's  Flat  on  Sun- 
day afternoons.     The  only  visible  fruit  of  that  preach- 


316  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ing  was  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  a  Prussian 
named  Manthi.  He  was#convicted  under  a  sermon  on 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  had  been  reared  and  confirmed  in 
the  Lutheran  Church,  but  on  hearing  that  sermon  he 
found  that  he  needed  something  more  than  he  had  ever 
received,  if  the  doctrine  taught  in  it  were  true.  The 
next  sermon  by  Brother  Fitzgerald  was  on  the  same 
subject.  This  deepened  his  conviction.  He  wept  and 
prayed  in  his  miner's  cabin,  and  being  led  by  the  Spir- 
it, he  was  born  into  the  new  life.  His  conversion  was 
clear  and  joyous,  and  at  the  next  quarterly  love-feast, 
in  broken  English,  and  with  streaming  eyes,  he  told  the 
story  amid  the  aniens  and  sympathizing  tears  of  the  lit- 
tle band  of  Christians  at  Sonora,  where  the  love-feast 
was  held.  This  would  seem  but  a  small  matter — the 
simple  conversion  of  a  Prussian  miner,  in  a  little  log- 
cabin,  amid  the  mine-scarred  mountains  of  California, 
and  his  joining  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  merely  because 
one  of  its  ministers  had  providentially  led  him  to  Christ. 
But  let  us  turn  another  leaf  in  the  history  of  this  mi- 
ner. He  proved  faithful,  becoming  a  useful  member  of 
the  Church  in  Sonora.  But  after  two  or  three  years, 
being  a  sailor,  his  old  passion  for  the  sea  came  upon 
him.  He  went  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  shipped  for 
China,  bearing  his  priceless  "pearl  "  with  him.  In  Chi- 
na he  identified  himself  with  our  Mission.  He  stood 
up  for  Christ.  It  was  a  critical  period  in  the  history  of 
that  Mission.  The  resources  of  the  Mission  were  cut 
off  by  the  Civil  War  raging  in  the  United  States,  and 
Brother  Lambuth  wrote  that  Brother  Manthi's  faith, 
zeal,  and  pecuniary  help  aided  in  the  saving  of  the 
Southern  Methodist  Mission  at  that  time.  Without  his 
help   the   difficulties  would  have  been   overwhelming. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  317 

And  so  in  the  mysterious  providence  of  God  a  sermon 
preached  in  an  obscure  mining-camp  in  California  re- 
sulted in  the  conviction  and  conversion  of  a  foreigner, 
who  carried  across  the  Pacific  the  fire  that  rekindled 
the  expiring  flame  of  missionary  zeal  and  activity  in 
China. 

In  view  of  the  mighty  openings  that  are  now  devel- 
oping in  the  China  Mission,  had  the  Southern  Meth- 
odist Church  accomplished  no  other  good,  this  one  fact 
would  more  than  repay  all  the  outlay  of  money  and  the 
expenditure  of  labor  on  the  Church  on  the  Pacific  Coast- 
God  calls  us  to  work,  and  he  takes  care  of  the  fruits  of 
our  labor. 


318  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER  XV. 


^HE  fifteenth  session  was  held  in  San  Francisco, 


P  October  4,  1865.     Being  again  without  the  pres- 
j=M    ence  of  a  Bishop,  O.  P.   Fitzgerald  was  chosen 


m 


President. 

Our  Secretary  for  the  past  four  years — J.^C.  Stewart 
— having  been  killed  the  past  year  in  Mexico,  as  he  was 
trying  to  make  his  way  home,  E.  K.  Miller  was  chosen 
Secretary,  a  position  for  which  he  was  eminently  qual- 
ified, and  which  he  held  by  unanimous  vote  of  his  breth- 
ren for  a  period  of  twelve  years — in  fact,  until  he  left 
us  by  transfer.  So  accurate  and  faithful  was  he  that 
his  records  passed  unchallenged  by  the  committees  of 
the  General  Conference,  and  at  times  received  the  high- 
est commendation.  He  was  received  into  our  Confer- 
ence at  this  session  by  transfer  from  the  Missouri  Con- 
ference. He  had  suffered  greatly  during  the  war;  had 
been  sorely  persecuted,  and  he,  with  W.  F.  Compton, 
from  the  same  Conference,  came  to  us  for  respite  and 
refuge,  and  two  more  devoted,  faithful  men  we  have 
rarely  had  in  our  body.  By  long  and  diligent  labor  they 
proved  themselves  worthy  and  well  qualified. 

J.  O.  Foresman  was  transferred  to  us  from  the  Kan- 
sas Conference;  was  sent  to  Mariposa  Circuit;  labored 
one  year,  and  located. 

George  Howard,  J.  A.  Burns,  and  J.  N.  Turner  were 
admitted  on  trial. 

George  Howard  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  B.  C.  How- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


3J9 


ard.  He  traveled  but  one  year,  and  on  account  of  fail- 
ing health  he  was  discontinued,  at  his  own  request.  He 
soon  went  down  under  the  hand  of  consumption. 

J.  A.  Burns  was  sent  to  Oregon,  and  when  that  Con- 
ference was  organized  the  following  year,  he  remained 
with  it. 

J.  N.  Turner  traveled  but  one  year,  and  discontinued, 
at  his  own  request. 

W.  F.  Compton,  son  of  William  and  Luna  Compton, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  Aug.  29,  1832.  His 
parents  were  deeply  pious,  and  he  grew  up  in  a  religious 
atmosphere.  He  was  converted,  and  joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South,  Sept.  26,  1S46.  He  em- 
igrated to  Missouri  in  1856;  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Centenary  Quarterly  Conference,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April 
2,  1857,  E.  M.  Marvin  being  preacher  in  charge,  and 
R.  A.  Young  presiding  elder.  With  these  holy  and 
healthful  influences  surrounding:  him,  it  is  not  strange 
that  the  young  preacher  should  then  and  forever  conse- 
crate himself  to  the  work  of  God  as  performed  by  an 
itinerant  Methodist  preacher.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  applied  for  admission  into  the  traveling  connec- 
tion, joining  the  St.  Louis  Annual  Conference  on  trial. 
He  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  circuit  the  first  year,  and 
the  year  following  he  was  junior  preacher,  under  the 
Rev.  E.  M.  Marvin,  at  the  First  Church,  St.  Louis.  He 
filled  several  important  stations  in  his  native  Confer- 
ence. But  during  the  war — and  especially  during  the 
latter  part  of  it — the  persecutions  that  befell  our  Church 
in  Missouri  were  exceedingly  annoying.  Many  thought 
the  very  existence  of  Southern  Methodism  was  threat- 
ened, and  that  in  all  probability  it  would  not  survive  the 
pressure.     Brother  Compton's  health  being  delicate,  and 


320  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

he  being  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  state  of  affairs 
as  they  obtained  in  Missouri,  and  desiring  to  try  a  new 
climate,  and  once  more  enjoy  the  privilege  of  preaching 
the  gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  without  let  or  hinder- 
ance,  the  remnant  of  his  days,  he  took  his  little  family 
and   started  across  the  plains  for  California.     He  was 
regularly  transferred,  itnd  took  work  in  our  Conference. 
He  has  filled  some  important  stations  since  his  connec- 
tion with  us — among  them   San  Jose,  Petaluma,  Santa 
Clara  Circuit,  and  Modesto;  besides,  he  was  Presiding 
Elder  of  Santa  Rosa  District  for  four  years,  and  is  now 
Presiding  Elder  of  the  San    Francisco   District.     For 
some  years  his  health  has  been  gradually  giving  way. 
But  his  hand  has  not  relaxed.     With   a  zeal  born  only 
of  duty  to  God,  he  has  pressed  on  in  his  noble  work, 
not  sparing  himself.     He  has  fought  the  inevitable  with 
wonderful  courage  and  persistence.     Perfectly  devoted 
to  God  and  his  cause,  never  sparing  himself,  he  is  ever 
prone  to  underestimate  his  own  ability  and  usefulness. 
We  will  miss  him  when  we  are  called  to  go  out  to  bat- 
tle without  him. 

"E.  K.  Miller  was  forced  from  his  native  Conference 
by  the  same  persecutions  that  afflicted  Brother  Comp- 
ton,  and  he  came  with  the  same  exalted  purpose — that 
of  preaching  the  gospel  untrammeled.  He  was  a  most 
excellent  preacher,  and  took  high  rank  at  once  in  the 
Pacific  Conference. 

One  thing  for  which  the  Pacific  Conference  is  noted, 
is  the  pleasure  with  which  it  receives  transfers  from 
other  Conferences,  and  the  prominence  it  at  once  ac- 
cords to  those  worthy  of  prominence.  Transfers  have 
ever  shared  our  best  appointments.  Brother  Miller  was 
sent  to  Sacramento,  San  Francisco,  San  Francisco  Dis- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  321 

trict,  Colusa,  Santa  Clara,  and  San  Jose.  He  was  ever 
ready  for  work.  The  willingness  with  which  he  ac- 
cepted the  onerous  labors  of  the  Secretaryship  of  the 
Conference,  and  bore  them  through  all  his  connection 
with  us,  is  evidence  of  this  fact.  But  although  he  lived 
and  labored  with  us  for  over  twelve  years,  yet  his  heart 
frequently  turned  to  his  old  home,  and  at  last  he  asked 
a  transfer,  and  returned. 

All  through  the  war  we  had  been  looked  upon  with 
suspicion,  our  movements  watched,  and  in  many  quar- 
ters the  most  bitter  prejudices  existed  against  us.  But 
our  preachers  were  driven,  if  possible,  more  closely  to 
the  grand  principle  that  gave  us  being  as  a  Church. 
They  avoided  any  and  every  thing  that  savored  of  pol- 
itics in  the  pulpit.  The  war  and  its  varied  fortunes 
were  never  touched  in  our  religious  services.  We  held 
with  undeviating  firmness  and  persistency  to  the  one 
work  of  preaching  the  gospel.  No  attacks,  public  or 
private,  could  provoke  us  to  reply. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  was  assassinated,  in  some  in- 
stances spies  were  sent  to  our  churches  to  hear  what 
would  be  said;  and  when  they  heard  nothing  but  the 
gospel,  they  were  ready  to  destroy  our  churches  and 
banish  us  from  the  State. 

The  District  Judge  of  Sonoma  County  approached 
J.  C.  Simmons  on  the  streets  of  Petaluma,  and  asked 
him: 

"  Did  you  know,  sir,  that  there  was  a  strong  talk  of 
tearing  down  your  church,  and  running  you  out  of 
this  town?" 

"Yes,"   he  replied;  '-and  if  you  desire  to  do  it,  you 

have  the   full   power,   and  I   and  my  friends   have  no 

physical  power  to  resist  you;  but,   sir,  if  you  dare  to 
21 


322  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

touch  God's  house,  or  to  harm  a  hair  of  my  head,  we 
will  remand  you  to  a  higher  Power  who  lias  promised 
to  be  our  defense." 

Said  he,  "  Why  did  you  not  mention  Mr.  Lincoln  in 
your  sermon  last  Sabbath?" 

kk  Whv,  Judge,  I  am  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  I 
will  never  deviate  from  my  fixed  principles  for  any 
thing  on  this  earth,  living  or  dead." 

After  some  other  conversation  they  parted. 

At  Vacaville  it  was  different.  Though  we  had  one 
of  the  most  conservative  of  presidents  in  the  Rev.  W. 
T.  Luckey,  yet  some  unknown  person,  in  a  day  or  two 
after  the  assassination,  set  fire  to  our  college-building, 
and  burned  it  to  the  ground.  Of  course,  not  knowing 
who  did  it,  nor  the  motives  that  prompted  the  act,  we 
could  never  say  ivhy  it  was  done.  But  friends  and  foes 
seemed  to  understand  that  it  was  done  because  it  was 
the  property  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 
The  building  was  burned  at  nierht.  The  next  inorninsr 
Dr.  Luckey  and  the  professors  pulled  the  bell  out  of  the 
hot  embers,  hung  it  upon  a  pole  near  the  ruins,  and 
rung  it  for  the  assembling  of  the  classes.  Partitions 
were  hastily  torn  out  of  the  boarding-house,  and  thus 
school-rooms  were  improvised,  and  not  a  recitation  was 
omitted.  Our  friends  rallied  to  our  help,  and  at  this 
Conference  we  find  the  following  in  the  Report  on  Ed- 
ucation: 

Your  committee,  to  -whom  was  referred  the  subject  of  Educa- 
tion, take  pleasure  in  reporting  that  the  educational  interests  of 
our  Church  on  this  coast  were  never  in  a  better  condition  than 
now.  Notwithstanding  the  terrible  storm  that  has  raged  around 
us  and  the  pressure  upon  us  for  the  past  few  years,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  our  college-building  and  furniture  by  the  fire  in  April  last, 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  323 

jet  under  the  wise  leadership,  and  by  the  untiring  energy  and 
zeal  of  President  Luc  key  and  his  faithful  co-laborers,  the  Pacific 
Methodist  College  has  moved  steadily  forward  in  its  career  of 
prosperity.  The  steps  taken  immediately  after  the  destruction 
of  the  old  for  the  erection  of  a  new-college  building  have  been 
crowned  with  a  degree  of  success  far  exceeding  the  anticipations 
of  its  most  sanguine  friends.  The  contract  for  the  new  building 
has  been  let,  and  the  work  is  in  progress.  The  ceremonies  in  con- 
nection with  the  laving  of  the  corner-stone  will  take  place  on 
the  17th  instant  (October);  the  building  will  be  completed  by 
the  first  of  May,  and  if  the  winter  is  not  unusually  severe,  it  will 
be  ready  for  use  before  that  time. 

The  aggregate  number  of  students  last  year  was  208.  The 
number  in  attendance  at  this  time  is  135.  Among  these  are  sev- 
eral young  men  preparing  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  ard  who 
will  soon  be  knocking  at  the  door  of  your  Conference  for  admis- 
sion into  the  traveling  connection.  .  .  .  The  past  success  and 
present  prosperity  of  this  institution,  so  remarkable  under  the 
circumstances,  being  as  it  is  such  a  signal  indication  of  divine 
goodness  and  blessing,  call  for  your  most  devout  and  heartfelt 
gratitude  to  the  great  Giver  of  all  good.  The  recent  attempts  at 
its  destruction  have,  under  God,  tended  only  to  extend  its  repu- 
tation, and  widen  the  circle  of  its  healthful  influence.  It  has  now 
a  reputation  and  is  exerting  an  influence  for  good  never  before 
attained,  and  is  destined,  under  the  efficient  management  of  its 
able  and  laborious  faculty,  to  become  at  no  distant  day  just  what 
its  founders  and  patrons  desire  it  should  be — the  institution  of 
the  Pacific  Coast. 

Accordingly,  on  the  day  indicated  in  this  report,  the 
corner-stone  of  the  new  building  was  laid,  and  the  work 
of  putting  up  a  concrete  building  begun.  But  here 
again  we  made  a  sad  and  fatal  mistake.  The  sand  of 
which  the  mortar  for  the  concrete  was  formed  was  large- 
ly impregnated  with  fine  particles  of  black  soil,  known 
as  adobe.  When  the  walls  of  the  new  building  had 
been  completed  to  the  second  story,  and  the  necessary 


324  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

timbers  put  in,  there  came  on  a  heavy  rain-storm.  The 
whole  atmosphere  was  impregnated  with  moisture,  the 
adobe  began  to  slake,  and  the  whole  thing:  gradually  set- 
tied  down  into  an  indiscriminate  mass  of  mud,  and  this 
mud-pile  lay  on  the  only  good  site  in  our  possession  for 
a  building,  and  we  had  to  be  at  the  expense  of  carting 
it  away.  But  in  due  time  it  was  done.  Another  cor- 
ner-stone was  laid,  and  a  large,  two-story  brick  building 
was  erected.  This  building  was  occupied  by  us  until 
1S71,  when  we  closed  out  all  our  interests  at  Vacaville 
and  moved  the  college  to  the  far  more  eligible  location 
of  Santa  Rosa,  in  Sonoma  County. 

Near  San  Jose  we  had  a  neat  little  church -building, 
the  fruits  of  the  great  May  camp-meeting  in  that  neigh- 
borhood in  18^9.  Some  time  after  we  erected  this 
church,  the  M.  E.  Church  also  put  up  a  building  a  few 
hundred  yards  south  of  ours.  During  the  period  of  ex- 
citement, when  the  college  was  burned,  and  many 
thought  the  time  had  come  to  drive  us  as  a  body  from  the 
State,  because,  forsooth,  we  were  a  part  and  parcel  of 
the  veritable  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  apian 
was  laid  for  the  burning  of  this  church.  An  emissary 
was  hired  to  do  the  work,  and  he  was  furnished  with 
instructions  to  go  out  into  the  Beryessa  neighborhood 
"  and  burn  the  '  South '  church."  He  happened  to  know 
but  little  of  Churches,  or  Church  difference,  and  so  he 
went  and  fired  the  church  that  was  on  the  south,  which 
was  burned  to  the  ground,  while  ours  escaped. 

These  were  fearful  times.  For  four  long  years  so  fa- 
miliar had  men  become  with  scenes  of  bloodshed  and 
destruction  that  they  had  no  taste  for  any  other  litera- 
ture. Every  paper  was  so  filled  with  accounts  of  battles, 
the  movements  of  armies,  the  numbering  of  the  dead, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


325 


that  people  would  hardly  talk  of  any  thing  else.  When 
the  smoke  of  battle  cleared  from  the  great  fields  of  car- 
nage they  longed  to  hear  of  the  killing  of  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands,  and  even  women  could  talk  of 
war  with  a  gusto  that  was  appalling.  And  although 
the  war  was  now  over,  and  peace  had  been  declared, 
yet  many  were  not  satisfied,  nor  would  they  be  until 
every  thing  contrary  to  their  notions  had  been  removed 
from  the  land.  And  it  seemed  nothing:  but  the  restrain- 
ing  grace  of  God  could  hold  some  men  back  from  far- 
ther destruction  and  bloodshed. 

Never,  in  a  single  instance,  did  our  preachers  or  peo- 
ple swerve  from  their  fixed  principles;  and  God  put 
his  everlasting  arms  about  us,  and  we  were  protected 
from  the  wrath  of  our  enemies. 

The  Pastoral  Address  sent  out  at  this  session  of  the 
Conference  will  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  state  of  feel- 
ing and  affairs  that  prevailed  at  this  period.  The  com- 
mittee who  prepared  it  was  composed  of  O.  Fisher,  W. 
R.  Gober,  and  J.  C.  Simmons,  and  the  sentiments  ex- 
pressed in  this  address  were  heartily  indorsed  and 
prayerfully  sent  out  by  the  other  members  of  the  Con- 
ference. 

Beloved  Brethren: — In  our  annual  Christian  salutations 
and  godly  councils,  we  deem  it  proper  to  call  your  attention 
briefly  to  the  fact  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
stands  upon  the  old  platform  of  Wesleyan  Methodism.  She 
has  never  changed  her  creed  nor  her  policy.  God  has  smiled 
upon  the  Church,  South,  from  the  beginning,  and  still  smiles  upon 
it.  Prior  to  the  late  unhappy  war  no  Church  on  earth  was  more 
prosperous  than  the  Church,  South,  and  during  that  dark  and 
gloomy  hour  the  Pacific  Conference  has  suffered  perhaps  as  little 
decline  as  any  other  Church  on  this  coast.  And  recently  the 
Lord  has  been  pleased  to  pour  out  his  Spirit  upon  many  of  our 


326  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

charges,  and  refreshed  us  with  glorious  revivals  of  religion,  in 
which  hundreds  have  been  added  to  our  Communion.  For  all 
these  mercies  we  thank  God  and  take  courage.  Let  no  man, 
therefore,  persuade  you  that  the  Church  of  jour  choice  must 
come  to  an  end  on  this  coast.  Methodism  in  the  South  lived 
through  the  old  Revolutionary  War,  and  through  the  late  British 
War,  and  through  our  own  national  bloody  war,  and  still  lives  on, 
and  will  live  through  all  wars,  despite  all  opposition,  if  we  will 
only  be  faithful  to  God  and  one  another.  For  God  will  net  for- 
sake his  people,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  his 
Church.  The  M.  E.  Church,  South,  is  a  non-political  Church, 
and  is  not,  therefore,  necessarily  affected  by  civil  revolutions  or 
changes  in  earthly  governments.  Her  business  is  to  save  souls, 
without  regard  to  their  political  creed.  Her  mission  is  spiritual, 
not  secular.  She  is  by  divine  help  to  spread  scriptural  holiness 
over  the  lard.  The  religion  she  is  to  preach  and  maintain  is  the 
religion  of  divine  love — love  to  God,  and  love  to  man. 

We  could  not,  therefore,  as  a  Church,  take  any  part  in  the  late 
war;  we  could  only  deplore  it,  weep  over  it,  and  earnestly  pray 
for  the  return  of  peace.  And  now  that  it  has  come,  by  the  good 
providence  of  God,  instead  of  disbanding,  as  our  enemies  would 
gladly  have  us  do,  we  should,  and  we  humbly  trust  we  will,  give 
ourselves  Avith  renewed  vigor  to  our  holy  and  heavenly  work  of 
saving  souls.  And  under  the  smiles  of  our  Divine  Master,  what- 
ever may  be  the  political  changes  in  the  world,  the  moral  and  re- 
ligious wants  and  necessities  of  man  are  the  same,  and  in  refer- 
ence to  the  duties  of  Christians  changes  not.  Under  every  pos- 
sible phase  of  politics  it  is  still  awfully  true  that  without  holiness 
no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.  And  except  a  man  be  born  again  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  M.  E.  Church,  South, 
claims  to  be  the  humble  representative  of  gospel  religion,  com- 
missioned by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  labor  for  the  conversion  of 
the  world  from  sin  to  holiness,  and  from  Satan  to  the  living  God. 
Christ  has  solemnly  declared  to  all  civil  governments  that  his 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  and  that  therefore  his  servants  will 
not  fight  against  them,  so  that  they  have  nothing  to  fear  from 
Christians  of  the  true  gospel  school,  nor  from  the  spread  of 
gospel  holiness.     Therefore,  standing  as  we  do  before  the  world 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  327 

on  a  simple  gospel  platform,  committed  to  nothing  save  the  spread 
of  scriptural  holiness  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  there  is  no  rea- 
son for  any  change,  either  in  our  creed  or  Church  economy.  Nor 
can  we  conceive  that  any  emergency  can  arise  that  will  make  a 
change  necessary.  .  .  .  And  now,  dear  brethren,  we  humbly 
commend  you  to  God  and  the  word  of  his  grace,  who  is  able  to 
build  vou  up,  and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  that 
are  sanctified.  Brethren,  pray  earnestly  for  us.  The  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  be  upon  and  remain  with  you  always.     Amen. 

How  much  the  Church  owes  to  the  faithfulness  of 
the  Pacific  Conference  in  holding  their  position  in  Cal- 
ifornia no  one  can  ever  estimate. 

There  were  those  in  high  places  that  opposed  the 
planting  of  Southern  Methodism  on  this  coast,  and  that 
time  and  again  advised  the  recall  of  our  forces.  They 
felt  that  the  expenditure  of  men  and  money  to  build  up 
our  Church  here  was  just  that  much  loss  to  the  Church. 
But  God  intended  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  should  not  be  pent  up  by  geographical  lines,  but 
that  it  was  to  become  a  mighty  factor  in  bringing  the 
world  to  Christ.  A  political,  or  rather  a  geographical, 
line  had  been  run  through  the  great  Methodist  Church 
in  America,  and  the  Church,  South,  felt  in  honor  bound 
to  observe  the  solemn  compact  that  set  this  bound  about 
her.  This  compact  was  broken  by  the  other  party. 
The  Plan  of  Separation  that  the  South  held  as  sacred 
was  ignored  by  the  M.  E.  Church  (North),  and  thus 
with  their  own  hands,  in  the  providence  of  God,  struck 
off  the  shackles  and  restraints  that  this  Plan  had  placed 
upon  the  Church,  South. 

When  the  gold-fields  of  California  were  thrown  open 
to  the  world,  and  the  mighty  human  tide  set  in  to  these 
shores  from   every   land,    many   of   the   people   of   the 


328  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

South  came,  and  soon  began  to  call  for  pastors  of  their 
own  Church  to  supply  them  with  the  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God.  We  heard  and  heeded  the  call.  Once  out 
in  the  opening  field  of  the  world,  with  the  ever-ringing 
voice  of  Jesus  bidding  us  go,  we  began  to  feel  our  call 
as  never  before  to  do  our  part  to  fill  the  world  with  the 
knowledge  of  God,  as  the  waters  cover  the  deep.  Our 
commission  we  now  felt  to  be  the  world.  And  the 
lights  kindled  in  Mexico,  in  Brazil,  as  well  as  all  along 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  attest  the  fact  that  we  are  not 
disobedient  to  the  heavenly  calling.  We  now  can  un- 
derstand why  we  came  to  California,  why  God  sus- 
tained us  through  the  struggle  of  infancy,  why  he  built 
a  wall  of  protection  around  us  during  the  cruel  Civil 
War,  and  why  his  smiles  rest  upon  us  to-day.  Califor- 
nia and  the  Pacific  Conference  is  the  breach  through 
which  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  has  come 
out  to  fight  the  powers  of  darkness  in  all  lands,  and  to 
help  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  And  we  look 
to  see  the  day  when  it  shall  be  the  base  of  supplies, 
when  hundreds  and  thousands  shall  be  sent  out  to  con- 
quer all  Asia,  with  her  multiplied  millions,  for  Christ. 
Geographically,  no  point  can  surpass  us  in  importance; 
we  stand  in  the  very  gateway  of  the  East. 

During  the  year  iS6^  an  important  victory  for  our 
Church  was  gained  in  Oregon.  Up  to  this  time  a  mort- 
gage rested  upon  Corvallis  College.  J.  Kelsay,  as  agent, 
had  been  doing:  all  that  he  could  to  lift  the  mortgage. 
But  a  sort  of  apathy  rested  upon  our  friends.  At  last 
the  mortgage  was  foreclosed  and  the  property  sold.  It 
was  bought  by  the  Presbyterians,  who  took  advantage 
of  the  depreciation  of  United  States  currency,  and  paid 
off  the  mortgage  in  greenbacks.     We  had  n:nety  days 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


329 


in  which  to  redeem  the  property.  Brother  Kelsay  went 
to  work  with  a  will,  and  with  the  leverage  of  this  sale 
he  raised  our  friends  to  the  proper  effort,  and  ere  the 
ninety  days  had  expired  he  raised  the  last  dollar  and 
redeemed  the  property.  Of  course  he  paid  in  green- 
backs, too.  And  we  have  stated  these  facts — both  that 
the  mortgage  was  paid  in  greenbacks,  and  that  we  re- 
deemed in  greenbacks — because  some  have  thought  to 
blame  our  agent  for  this  last  transaction.  This  state- 
ment sets  the  matter  clearly  before  the  world. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  Oregon  Legislature  there 
was  to  be  made  an  appropriation  of  90,000  acres  of  land 
to  some  college  in  the  State,  the  interest  of  this  appro- 
priation to  be  used  in  paying  the  tuition  of  two  pupils 
from  every  senatorial  district  in  the  State,  and  this  in- 
terest was  to  go  for  nothing  but  tuition.  Various  col- 
leges in  the  State  were  working  to  secure  this  appro- 
priation. One  of  the  leading  members  of  our  Church, 
B.  F.  Burch,  of  Independence,  Polk  County,  was  a 
member  of  that  Legislature,  and  through  his  influence 
the  land  was  donated  to  Corvallis  College.  The  prop- 
erty of  the  college,  independent  of  this  State  appropri- 
ation, was  at  the  time  worth  about  $5,000.  It  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Pacific  Conference  at  this  session  free  of 
debt.  With  the  tender  was  a  request  that  we  appoint 
a  man  to  the  presidency  of  the  institution.  According- 
ly, the  Rev.  W.  A.  Finley,  a  recent  graduate  of  Pacific 
Methodist  College,  and  member  of  our  Conference  on 
trial,  a  very  promising  young  man,  was  appointed. 

The  success  of  our  Church  in  Oregon  had  been  so 
great,  and  the  remoteness  of  that  part  of  our  work  was 
such,  that  it  was  thought  best  to  set  it  off  into  a  separate 
Annual  Conference,  and  accordingly  the  following  res- 


330  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

olution  was  introduced  by  J.  M.  Ward  and  O.  P.  Fitz- 
gerald, and  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  the  Pacific  Annual  Conference  respectfully  re- 
quest the  General  Conference  at  its  approaching  session  to  set 
off  that  part  of  the  Pacific  Conference  now  embraced  in  the 
Jacksonville,  Oregon,  and  Idaho  Districts  as  a  separate  Annual 
Conference,  to  be  known  as  the  Occidental  Annual  Conference. 

The  General  Conference  did  set  this  part  of  our  work 
off  into  a  separate  Annual  Conference,  but  called  it  the 
Columbia  Conference. 

Arrangements  were  also  made  to  revive  our  paper 
under  the  title  of  The  Christian  Spectator',  and  O.  P. 
Fitzgerald  was  unanimously  elected  Editor. 

The  delegates  elected  to  the  General  Conference  were 
W.  R.  Gober,  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  and  J.  C.  Simmons. 

The  two  first  named  attended  the  session  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  held  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and 
did  good  and  efficient  work  in  that  memorable  Confer- 
ence. The  most  radical  changes  ever  effected  in  any 
one  General  Conference  of  our  Church  were  effected 
at  this — changes  that  have  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of 
those  who  proposed  them. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


2>2>l 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

fjipHE  sixteenth  session  was  held  in  Petaluma,  Octo- 
ber 10,  1866,  Bishop  Kavanaugh  presiding.  This 
dear  old  Bishop  had  been  with  us  so  often,  had 
traveled  so  extensively  through  the  Conference,  and  en- 
deared himself  by  the  ever-deepening  interest  mani- 
fested in  our  work,  that  we  began  to  feel  that  he  was 
our  Bishop.  It  was  with  peculiar  joy  that  we  welcomed 
him  back  upon  this  occasion.  His  opening  talk  to  us  on 
this  occasion,  though  brief,  was  marked  by  such  a  ten- 
der, fatherly  feeling,  that  all  hearts  were  moved. 

Joseph  E.  Miller,  an  elder  in  the  Protestant  Methodist 
Church,  joined  us  at  this  session.  Somewhat  advanced 
in  life,  yet  strong  and  vigorous,  he  came  to  us  ready  to 
live,  to  labor,  and  to  die  with  us. 

The  second  year  he  was  sent  to  Los  Angeles,  within 
the  bounds  of  which  district  he  remained  and  labored 
until  the  organization  of  the  Los  Angeles  Conference, 
when  he  took  his  place  in  that  body,  where  he  remained 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  finally  located. 

John  Maclay  came  to  us  from  the  M.  E.  Church.  He 
had  grown  tired  of  the  ceaseless  turmoil  in  his  Church 
in  regard  to  politics,  and  he  came  to  us  for  refuge  and 
rest.  He  was  a  strong  man,  and  a  good  preacher,  and 
was  made  Presiding  Elder  of  the  San  Francisco  Dis- 
trict for  two  years,  when  he  located,  at  his  own  request. 

John  F.  Campbell,  Alexander  Groves,  Joel  Hedgpeth, 
and  George  W.  Wood  were  received  on  trial. 


33- 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


John  F.  Campbell  came  with  his  father  to  California 
in  1846,  some  years  before  the  discovery  of  gold.  His 
father  (William  Campbell)  settled  in  Santa  Clara  Val- 
ley. He  was  present  when  the  city  of  San  Jose  was 
laid  out,  and  it  is  to  him  that  that  city  is  indebted  for  its 
wide  and  roomy  streets.  The  intention  was  to  lay  them 
off  about  twenty  feet  wide.  But  he  protested,  telling 
them  that  San  Jose  would  some  day  be  a  great  city. 
He  pleaded  with  them  to  make  the  main  streets  one  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  but  they  thought  this  out  of  all  charac- 
ter, and  put  them  at  their  present  width — sixty  feet. 

J.  F.  Campbell  was  born  in  Saline  County,  Missouri, 
November  8,  1S39.  He  was  raised  in  Santa  Clara  Val- 
ley— saw  it  when  there  were  but  a  few  white  families 
living  in  it,  when  its  fertile  plains  were  dotted  here  and 
there  with  the  low,  tile-covered  adobe  houses  of  the 
Mexicans — saw  them  give  place  to  the  grand  march  of 
American  enterprise  that  has  converted  the  whole  val- 
ley into  a  veritable  Eden.  His  father  owned  the  first 
saw-mill  that  ever  converted  the  giant  redwood-trees 
that  crowned  the  surrounding  mountains  into  lumber 
for  fencing  the  farms  and  building  the  residences  of  the 
aspiring  American  population  that  was  taking  posses- 
sion and  pushing  the  indolent  Mexican  to  the  wall. 

At  a  gracious  camp-meeting,  held  near  his  father's 
mill — first  called  Toll-gate  Camp-ground — in  the  fall  of 
1S55,  he  was  happily  converted  to  God.  Soon  after 
his  conversion,  feeling  even  then  the  movings  of  the 
Spirit  that  called  him  into  the  Christian  ministry,  he 
manifested  a  fixed  purpose  to  educate  himself.  For 
years  he  struggled  with  poverty,  but  by  industry  and 
economy  he  managed  to  pay  his  way  through  college, 
graduating  at  Pacific  Methodist  College  in  May,  1865, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  333 

ten  years  after  his  conversion.     Soon   after  he  was  li- 
censed to  preach,  and  delivered  his  first  sermon  right 
among  his  relatives  and  old  friends.     The  first  year  of 
his  connection  with  the  Conference,  according  to  the 
arrangement  of  the  General  Conference,  he  completed 
the   studies  of  the  two   years  prescribed,  and  was  or- 
dained deacon.     He  traveled  one  year  more,  and  was 
compelled  to  ask  a  discontinuance,  that  he  might  perfect 
the  title  to  certain  lands  that  his  father  had  given  him. 
This  occupied  him  till  1872,  when  he  again  entered  the 
Conference.     Of  studious  habits,  he  did  not  neglect  his 
books  while   engraved   on    the   farm.     He  was   faithful 
wherever  sent;  and  the  people  to  whom  he  ministered 
felt  that  they  had  a  pure-minded  man  of  God  for  their 
pastor.     In  the  latter  years  of  his  ministry  his   health 
began  gradually  to  decline,  and  yet  he  never  relaxed  his 
labors  or  spared  himself,  but  pressed  on,  doing  all  in 
his  power  for  his  Master.     His  last   appointment  was 
the  Potter  Valley  and  Upper  Lake  Circuit.     Toward 
the  latter  part  of  the  Conference-year  his  health  grew 
rapidly  worse.     He  sought  to  arrest  disease  by  a  visit 
to  some  of  the  numerous  mineral  springs  with  which 
this  region  abounds,  but  all  in  vain.     As  his   end  ap- 
proached,  he   talked  calmly  and  pleasantly  of    death. 
He  knew  himself  to  be  a  servant  of  the  mighty  Con- 
queror of  Death,  and  hence  he  had  no  fear  of  his  ap-7 
proach.     His  ministerial  life  had  been  one  of  sacrifice. 
Frequently  upon  poor  circuits,  he  paid  out  of  his  own 
hard-earned  means  for  his  own  support,  that  he  might 
have  the  privilege  of  preaching  the  gospel.     In  all  the 
relations  of  life  he  was  ever  found  to  be  an  upright,  de- 
voted Christian  gentleman. 

He    had    been    spending   some    time   at   the   Witter 


334 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


Springs,  in  Lake  County,  and  on  the  9th  of  October, 
1S78,  he  started  for  his  home,  knowing  that  his  end  was 
near.  On  the  way,  when  within  five  miles  of  his  home, 
he  was  taken  so  ill  that  he  had  to  be  taken  from  the 
stasfe  to  a  private  house.  There  was  only  a  lady  in  the 
house  at  the  time.  Seeing  that  she  was  greatly  alarmed 
at  his  condition,  he  tried  to  speak  to  her.  Unable  to  do 
so,  he  motioned  for  writing  material;  but  when  it  was 
brought  his  hand  failed  to  obey  his  will,  and  he  sunk  in 
an  unconscious  state.  His  wife  was  sent  for,  but  it  was 
not  until  the  next  day  that  he  returned  to  consciousness. 
Quietly  he  gave  directions  as  to  the  disposition  of  his 
children,  and  then  sweetly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  This 
was  October  10th.  Twelve  days  afterward  his  breth- 
ren of  the  Pacific  Conference  were  answering  to  roll- 
call,  but  he  was  not,  for  God  had  called  him  from  labor 
to  rest. 

Alexander  Groves  came  to  California  in  an  early  day, 
and  settled  in  Los  Angeles  County.  At  that  time  we 
had  no  preachers  in  that  region  of  the  State.  The  "  Ir- 
repressible Conflict,,,  ':  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  books 
of  this  ilk  were  firing  the  heart  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
and  the  pulsations  of  the  mighty  excitement  were  felt 
in  all  the  pulpits  of  that  denomination  on  this  coast. 
Everywhere  there  was  agitation.  At  Los  Nietos  they 
had  a  society,  and  among  their  members  were  Alexan- 
der Groves  and  a  number  of  others  who  had  united 
with  them  because  they  were  Methodists  and  wanted  a 
home.  But  the  constant  agitation  of  the  subject  of  Ab- 
olitionism in  private  and  public  was  very  distasteful  to 
them.  They  felt  that  the  house  of  God  should  be  a 
place  of  refuge  from  political  excitement — a  place  where 
men  of  all  political  views  should  be  allowed  to  worship 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


335 


God  in  quiet;  but  they  found  no  rest.  They  applied  to 
their  preacher  for  the  address  of  some  Southern  Meth- 
odist preacher,  but  he  would  not  give  it.  When  the 
presiding  elder  came  along  he  was  duly  advised  of  this 
request,  and  in  writing  for  the  California  Christian 
Advocate,  he  mentioned  the  fact,  and,  among  other 
things,  said:  "These  people  want  a  preacher  of  their 
own  kind,  and  as  I  once  made  a  visit  to  the  South,  and 
know  something  of  the  peculiar  institution,  perhaps  I 
would  suit  them."  This  letter  fell  under  the  eye  of  the 
Rev.  J.  F.  Blythe,  who  was  at  the  time  (1S54)  Presid- 
ing Elder  of  the  Stockton  District.  He  at  once  deter- 
mined to  visit  that  part  of  the  State  and  investigate  for 
himself  the  prospect  for  the  establishment  of  our  Church 
in  that  county.  When  he  reached  Los  Nietos,  he  found 
that  A.  Groves,  C.  C.  Snell,  J.  S.  L.  Wood  and  wife, 
Benjamin  Norris  and  wife,  Matthew  Tyler,  Edward 
Russell,  and  Mrs.  King,  had  withdrawn  from  the  M.  E. 
Church  and  organized  a  class  of  their  own,  and  were 
holding  weekly  meetings.  Brother  Blythe  preached  a 
number  of  times  for  them,  and  formally  organized  a 
class  of  sixteen  members.  He  left  them  with  the  prom- 
ise that  they  should  have  a  preacher  the  next  year.  Ac- 
cordingly, J.  T.  Cox  was  sent  to  them  from  the  Con- 
ference held  in  Sacramento,  April,  1855.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  our  Church  in  that  section  of  the  State, 
that  has  developed  into  an  Annual  Conference  of  twen- 
ty-six preachers  and  over  one  thousand  members. 

Brother  Groves  was  a  quiet,  unostentatious  man,  stu- 
dious and  diligent.  He  filled  three  appointments  in  the 
part  of  the  State  now  occupied  by  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence, and  then  was  sent  to  Los  Nietos,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  the  Los  Angeles  Conference  was  formed,  and 


336  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

he  remained  a  member  of  that  Conference.  At  one 
time  he  was  almost  alone  in  Arizona,  faithful  to  the 
Church  of  his  love,  laboring  to  establish  Southern  Meth- 
odism among  the  people  of  that  Territory. 

Joel  Hedgpeth  was  born  in  Buchanan  County,  Mis- 
souri, December  18,  1840.  He  was  converted  and  joined 
the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  on 
his  father's  place,  in  Nodaway  County,  Mo.,  in  1854. 
Soon  after  the  family  moved  to  California.  At  a  camp- 
meeting  held  on  the  Visalia  Circuit,  near  his  father's 
residence,  September,  i860,  he  was  licensed  to  preach, 
T.  C.  Barton  being  the  presiding  elder.  He  was  or- 
dained deacon  at  the  time  he  entered  Conference,  hav- 
ing been  a  local  preacher  long  enough  to  entitle  him  to 
this  order.  He  is  a  clear  thinker,  and  most  chaste,  beau- 
tiful preacher.  His  sermons  as  he  preaches  them  would 
read  well,  so  well  arranged  are  they,  and  so  accurate 
the  language  in  which  they  are  expressed.  He  is  still 
with  us  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  manhood. 

G.  W.  Wood  was  born  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  No- 
vember, 1S09.  His  parents  died  while  he  was  yet  an 
infant,  and  his  aged  grandmother  took  him  to  raise. 
She  also  died  when  he  was  but  about  six  years  of  age. 
This  orrand mother  was  a  devoted  Methodist  of  the  old 
school,  and  went  regularly  to  class,  taking  her  little 
charge  with  her.  Though  but  a  little  child,  the  relation 
of  Christian  experience  heard  in  the  class-room  made  a 
deep  impression  on  him,  and  there  the  good  seed  was 
sown  in  his  tender  heart  that  germinated  after  the  lapse 
of  fifty  years.  He  came  to  California  in  an  early  day, 
mingling  with  the  excited  throng  that  rushed  here  to 
seek  for  gold.  But  amid  all  the  demoralizing  influences 
brought  to  bear  against  him,  he  never  lost  his   self- re- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  337 

spect,  nor  descended  from  his  position  as  an  honorable, 
high-toned  gentleman.  He  did  become  skeptical  in  re- 
gard to  religion,  and  was  ever  bold  to  declare  his  want 
of  faith.  His  greatest  delight  was  to  discuss  Christian- 
ity and  tell  his  objections  to  it.  In  May,  i860,  he  at- 
tended a  camp-meeting  held  in  Pajaro  Valley,  near  Wat- 
sonville.  One  night,  as  he  rode  home  from  that  meet- 
ing, near  the  hour  of  midnight,  the  scenes  and  events 
that  had  transpired  on  the  camp-ground  fresh  in  his 
mind,  he  was  startled  by  the  suggestion:  "I  wonder  if 
I  will  ever  see  my  old  grandmother  again?"  His  infi- 
delity rushed  to  this  first  breach  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  made  in  its  approach  to  his  heart,  and  he  exclaimed 
aloud:  "Of  course  not!  There  is  no  hereafter."  But 
the  thought  still  haunted  him.  He  became  excited,  and 
began  to  tremble.  God  seemed  near,  and  the  light  of 
his  presence  revealed  the  utter  fallacy  of  his  skeptical 
notions.  The  seemingly  impregnable  barriers  with 
which  he  had  fortified  his  soul  were  tumbling  down 
under  that  simple  question:  "I  wonder  if  I  will  ever 
see  my  old  grandmother  again?  "  He  seemed  again  to 
hear  her  simple  story  of  love  and  trust.  He  felt  the 
touch  of  her  hand  on  his  head.  He  knew  she  had  been 
sincere  in  her  professions  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  He 
could  not  doubt  her,  if  he  did  doubt  the  very  existence 
of  God.  When  he  reached  home,  and  had  put  up  his 
horse,  he  went  in  and  threw  himself  upon  his  bed,  and 
tried  to  shut  out  the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  and  hush 
the  voices  that  sounded  in  his  heart  from  the  class-room 
and  love-feast  of  the  long  ago.  But  it  was  all  in  vain. 
He  became  so  deeply  convicted  that  he  thought  he 
should  die.  Pie  thought  he  would  go  back  to  the  camp- 
ground and  tell  the  preachers  his  troubles,  and  see  if  they 
22 


338  History  oe  Southern  Methodism 

could  not  help  him.  But  then  he  knew  it  was  after 
midnight,  and  he  concluded  to  wait  till  morning,  if  God 
would  let  him  live  that  long.  So  deep  was  his  distress 
that  he  began  calling  upon  God  for  mercy  and  for  par- 
don, and  before  the  dawn  he  heard  and  answered.  The 
next  day  he  came  to  the  meeting  to  tell  us  what  great 
things  the  Lord  had  done  for  him. 

With  characteristic  zeal  he  sought  at  once  to  preach 
the  faith  which  once  he  destroyed.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Watsonville  Quarterly  Conference  in  1861, 
and  in  1862  he  was  employed  as  a  local  preacher  on  the 
King's  River  Circuit.  In  1863  he  supplied  the  Dry 
Town  and  Michigan  Bar  Circuit.  On  September  4 
1S64,  he  was  ordained  deacon,  and  supplied  the  Sonora 
Circuit.  In  1866  he  was  received  on  trial  into  the  Con- 
ference and  sent  to  the  French  Camp  Circuit,  with  in- 
structions from  the  Bishop  to  spend  most  of  his  time 
and  labor  in  rebuilding  the-  Stockton  church,  that  had 
been  partly  destroyed  by  fire.  We  had  no  preacher 
stationed  in  Stockton  for  a  time,  and  the  church  had 
been  rented  for  school  purposes  to  the  city  authorities. 
He  was  quite  successful  in  this  work.  Whatever  work 
he  did  for  the  Church  he  did  with  all  his  might.  His 
labors  for  Christ  were  not  confined  to  the  pulpit,  but 
his  most  effective  work  was  done  in  the  family  circle. 
Gifted  with  rare  conversational  powers,  he  used  these 
powers  in  directing  men  and  women  to  Christ.  He 
was  very  successful  in  building  up  the  Church  and  se- 
curing revivals  wherever  he  labored.  When  admon- 
ished  by  his  physician  and  friends  that  his  labors  were 
too  great,  and  that  he  could  not  endure  them,  his  reply 
was:  "I  want  to  die  with  the  harness  on.'.'  God  gave 
him  the  desire  of  his  heart,  for  on  September  14,  1871, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  339 

on  his  way  to  his  last  appointment,  when  within  two 
miles  of  Plainsburg,  while  seated  in  his  buggy,  angels 
swept  down  the  sky  and  bore  the  old  soldier  to  his 
home  in  paradise. 

He  was  one  of  the  few  preachers  who  made  it  his 
business  to  sell  religious  books  among  the  people,  and 
to-day,  all  over  the  circuits  he  traveled,  may  be  found 
Methodist  books  that  had  been  dropped  here  and  there, 
to  do  good  after  he  was  gone. 

The  previous  year  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  had  been  sta- 
tioned in  San  Francisco,  and  in  addition  to  his  pastoral 
work  he  had  commenced  the  publication  of  the  paper 
under  the  title  of  The  Christian  Spectator.  C.  A. 
Klose  took  the  financial  management  of  it,  and  by  both 
these  brethren  giving  their  services  without  pecuniary  re- 
ward, they  were  enabled  to  report  at  Conference  that  they 
had  brought  it  safely  through  the  year  not  only  without  a 
dollar's  indebtedness,  but  with  a  small  balance  in  its  favor. 
This  subject  of  sustaining  a  paper  by  our  Conference 
has  been  one  that  has  tried  the  nerves  and  fathomed  the 
capacity  of  both  preachers  and  laymen.  It  has  been  a 
constant  struggle  to  keep  one  afloat.  The  membership 
of  our  Church  is  so  limited  on  the  coast,  and  so  few  of 
the  friends  on  the  Atlantic  side  feel  enough  of  interest 
to  take  it.  that  it  has  ever  been  a  battle  for  mere  exist- 
ence. But,  with  the  exceptions  of  brief  periods,  we  have 
managed  to  sustain  one,  and  the  universal  verdict  of 
Bishops  and  friends  from  a  distance  is  that  our  paper, 
in  point  of  real  merit,  ranks  among  the  best. 

Though  the  Columbia  Conference  had  been  organ- 
ized out  of  a  part  of  our  members,  yet  we  were  enabled 
to  report  39  Sunday-schools  with  217  officers  and  teach- 
ers, 1,480  scholars,  4,885  volumes  in  library,  $965.60  col- 


34°         History  of  Southern  Methodism 

lected  for  Sunday-school  purposes,  and  21  conversions 
among  the  children.  We  also  reported  29  churches,  val- 
ued at  $61,800;  22  parsonages,  valued  at  $11,765;  while 
there  had  been  435  conversions. 

The  Columbia  Conference  was  organized  by  Bishop 
H.  H.  Kavanaugh,  September,  1866.  The  following 
preachers  were  present,  and  took  part  in  the  organiza- 
tion: C.  H.  E.  Newton,  A.  E.  Sears,  James  Kelsay,  D. 
C.  McFarland,  J.  B.  Short,  Levi  Van  Slyke,  W.  A.  Fin- 
ley,  R.  C.  Martin,  D.  M.  Rice,  Thomas  Brown,  A.  C. 
Howlett,  J.  Emery,  J.  W.  Craig,  and  R.  C.  Oglesby. 

These  were  a  faithful  band  of  tried  soldiers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Theirs  had  been  no  easy  task.  While  there 
was  a  door  of  usefulness  open  before  them,  "  there  were 
many  adversaries,"  and  the  opposition  they  met  was  bit- 
ter and  of  long  continuance. 

There  never  has  been,  there  never  will  be,  a  time 
when  there  will  be  no  call  for  self-denial  and  sacrifice 
for  the  cause  of  Christ.  We  may  be  disposed  to  look 
back  to  the  days  of  our  fathers,  when  amid  untold  hard- 
ships they  planted  Methodism  on  this  continent — when 
on  horseback  they  threaded  the  blazed  paths  in  the  deep 
solitude  of  the  wilderness,  hunting  up  the  hardy  pioneer 
and  preaching  to  him  Jesus,  encountering  the  fierce 
wild  beasts  and  not  less  savage  red  men,  swimming 
swollen  torrents  of  unknown  depth,  often  spending  the 
nights  hungry  and  cold,  with  the  gathered  leaves  for  a 
bed,  a  saddle  for  a  pillow,  and  a  saddle-blanket  for  a 
cover.  We  look  at  these  and  say,  These  were  heroes, 
and  we  shall  never  look  upon  their  like  again.  But 
were  the  history  of  our  brethren  in  Oregon  faithfully 
portrayed,  it  would  be  a  companion  picture  to  that  that 
illustrates  the  work  of  these  fathers.     Christ  has  never 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  341 

wanted  for  faithful,  brave  soldiers — soldiers  like  Ezekiel, 
who  was  told  not  to  fear,  "  though  briers  and  thorns  be 
with  him,  and  though  he  should  dwell  among  scor- 
pions." The  promise  of  God  was  that  he  would  "  make 
his  face  strong  against  their  face,  and  his  forehead  strong 
against  their  forehead  —  as  an  adamant  harder  than 
flint  had  he  made  his  forehead."  The  men  who  planted 
Southern  Methodism  in  Oregon  had  to  be  not  only  men 
of  courage,  but  men  of  endurance,  men  fully  consecrated 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  who  would  count  all  things  loss 
for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus 
their  Lord.     Hear  one  of  them: 

As  to  how  we  got  along,  you  may  suppose  we  had  trouble. 
Our  enemies  tried  to  set  us  in  the  wrong  light,  and  falsely  ac- 
cused us  of  being  secretly  sent  out  there  as  secession  sympathiz- 
ers, and  in  league  with  the  Rebellion.  We  were  plied  with  ques- 
tions as  to  our  political  views  and  alliances.  One  man  was  so 
anxious  to  know  my  politics  that  he  pressed  me  one  day  to  tell  him 
what  I  was  politically.  Well,  I  told  him  I  was  a  Secessionist 
and  a  Union  man  both.  Then  he  wanted  me  to  explain  myself. 
I  told  him  I  believed  in  seceding  from  every  thing  that  is  wrong, 
and  I  believed  in  union  with  God  and  every  thing  that  is  good  and 
right.  What  do  you  think  of  my  position?  He  said  I  was  right, 
and  from  thenceforth  asked  me  no  more  questions  about  politics. 

We  had  a  hard  time  financially.  Our  wants  were  poorly  sup- 
plied, we  had  no  missionary  appropriations,  and  our  pay  was 
very  small.  We  sometimes  went  hungry,  and  wore  clothes  that 
were  not  of  the  finest  or  most  expensive.  We  traveled  in  summer 
through  heat  and  dust,  and  in  winter  through  drifting  snows  and 
beating  rains,  muddy  roads  and  high  waters,  pelting  storms  and 
freezing  nights.  But  out  of  all  these  troubles  the  Lord  brought 
us  in  peace. 

At  one  of  my  camp-meetings  trouble  was  anticipated,  but  ev- 
ery thing  was  quiet  until  about  one  o'clock  on  Sunday,  when  an 
old  gentleman  took  me  aside  and  said:  "  Parson,  you  will  find 
something  under  the  head  of  your  bed.    If  you  have  no  use  for  it, 


343  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

you  can  let  it  stay  there;  but  if  you  need  it,  you  will  have  it." 
When  I  went  and  raised  the  bed,  there,  to  my  astonishment, 
lay  a  belt  with  a  large  Colt's  revolver  and  a  Bowie-knife.  But  I 
had  no  use  for  such  carnal  weapons.  The  Lord  was  our  defense, 
and  there  was  no  disturbance.  I  learned  afterward  that  the 
plans  had  all  been  laid  to  break  up  the  meeting,  but  our  enemies 
found  that  our  friends  were  on  the  ground  prepared  to  meet 
force  with  force,  and  they  wisely  forbore. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


343 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

^PfHE  seventeenth  session  was  held  in  San  Jose,  Oc- 
tober i,  1867,  and  was  presided  over  by  Bishop 
H.  H.  Kavanausrh.  He  had  not  left  the  coast 
since  the  last  Conference,  but  had  traveled  extensively 
through  both  California  and  Oregon,  visiting  all  parts 
of  the  work  and  preaching  constantly.  It  was  wonder- 
ful what  amount  of  preaching  he  was  able  to  do,  and 
did  do. 

Durinsr  this  year  he  surrendered  himself  to  the  will 
cf  his  brethren,  and  went  wherever  they  directed,  and 
preached  as  often  as  they  desired  him.  He  traveled  well, 
ate  well,  slept  well,  and  preached  well.  In  fact,  preach- 
ing seemed  to  have  been  his  chief  delight.  Had  he 
ceased  his  pulpit  labors  at  once,  no  doubt  the  reaction 
would  have  been  fatal.  He  cared  not  where  he  preached. 
He  was  just  as  willing  to  go  into  some  little  school- 
house  in  an  obscure  neighborhood  and  pour  forth  strains 
of  gospel  eloquence  for  an  hour  and  a  half  as  to  enter 
the  carpeted  pulpit  of  some  lofty  city  church  where 
waiting  hundreds  were  ready  to  listen  to  his  stirring 
strains. 

After  the  usual  opening  exercises  of  the  Conference, 
he  in  a  brief  and  very  impressive  speech  gave  an  ac- 
count of  his  extensive  travels  and  labors  during  the  year 
in  California  and  Oregon.  His  remarks  inspired  all 
hearts  with  encouragement  as  to  our  work  on  the  coast. 


344  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

He  saw  every  thing  in  the  outlook  to  woo  us  on  to  more 
of  zeal  and  labor. 

John  M.  Alsanson  was  the  only  candidate  for  admis- 
sion on  trial  at  this  Conference.  The  following-  brief 
history  of  his  conversion  and  connection  with  our 
Church  we  give  from  his  own  pen: 

I  was  born  August  2,  1828,  in  Goetzis,  near  Lake  Constance, 
on  the  Rhine,  in  Tyrol,  Austria,  and  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith. 
My  parents  were  pious  and  observed  family  worship.  When 
about  ten  years  of  age,  in  company  with  other  children,  one  Sun- 
day afternoon,  the  services  for  the  day  being  over,  but  the  doors 
being  left  open  till  the  ringing  of  the  curfew  bell,  I  went  into  the 
village  church.  It  was  in  Lent,  when  the  four  altars  of  the 
church  were  decorated  with  huge  pictures  of  our  Lord's  passion, 
as  is  customary  in  Catholic  churches  during  that  period.  Whilst 
contemplating  these  pictures,  a  strange  and  wonderful  feeling 
came  over  me.  Tears  burst  from  my  eyes,  indescribable  emo- 
tions swelled  up  in  my  childish  heart,  prominent  among  which 
was  love  to  Him  wrho  endured  so  much  for  my  sake.  It  made  a 
deep  and  ineradicable  impression.  True,  it  was  lost  sight  of  and 
almost  forgotten  in  the  subsequent  years  of  an  unbelieving, 
worldly,  and  wicked  life,  brought  about,  no  doubt,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent by  association  and  intercourse  with  wicked  companions,  and 
the  glaring  inconsistencies  and  immoralities  of  some  of  the  Cath- 
olic  priests,  such  as  drunkenness,  gambling,  and  irreverence  of 
God  and  religion.  Some  of  the  instructors  in  the  schools  which 
I  subsequently  attended  were  men  of  this  character.  The  result 
was  that  the  majority  of  the  1,200  students  at  the  University  of 
Innsbruck  became  skeptical,  if  not  outright  infidel,  in  their  tend- 
encies. Such  was  my  condition.  Religiously  I  was  at  sea — had 
no  definite  ideas,  no  creed,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  Bible,  as  I 
had  no  access  to  it.  But  then  I  knew  something  of  the  doctrines, 
the  rites,  and  superstitions  of  Romanism,  which  had  been  taught 
to  me  all  along  from  childhood.  This  was  my  religious  status 
when  about  twenty  years  old,  in  184S,  when  my  whole  life-cur- 
rent started  off  in  a  different  direction. 

The  mode  of  education  and  choosing  a  life-calling  in   Europe' 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  345 

especially   in   my   native   country,  forty-five   years   ago,  differs 
greatly   from   that  which   obtains    here.     After  an   eight-years' 
course  of  study — six  at  the  gymnasium,  as  it  is  termed,  and  two 
at  the  University — the  students  had  to  select  out  of  the  three  pro- 
fessional courses,  as  they  were  called — medicine,  jurisprudence, 
theology — or   enter   some  polytechnical  institute.     All  of   these 
courses  were  very  expensive,  except  theology,  where  board  and 
tuition,  in  fact,  every  thing,  was  free.     Hence  the   sons  of  poor 
parents  had  no  other  opening  but  that  of  the  priesthood.     My 
means,  being  an  orphan,  were  almost  exhausted,  and  the  priest- 
hood being  so  repulsive  to  me,  I  concluded  to  come  to  America. 
I  landed  in  New  Orleans,  January  1,  1849.     I  afterward  went  to 
Ohio,  thence    to   Missouri,  spending  three   years  in   these  two 
States.     In  1852  I  came  to  California.     For  years  I  gave  no  at- 
tention to  the  subject  of  religion.     In  the  year  1S60  I  heard  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Brown   preach  in  a  mining-camp  near  Coulterville 
Mariposa  County.     For  many  long  years  I  had  heard  no  preach- 
ing, had  attended  no  church.     His  preaching  arrested  my  atten- 
tion, and  the  labors  of  this  earnest  servant  of  God  changed  the 
whole  current  of  my  life.     I  began  to  reflect.     I  was  hungry  for 
religious  information.     I  bought  a  small  pocket  Bible,  the  first  I 
ever  possessed.     It  is  still  in  my  library.     Fletcher's  Appeal  I  also 
read  with  interest.     The  following  year,  under  the   ministry  of 
the  Rev.  George  Sim,  I  united  with  the  Church.     When  I  re- 
ceived Methodist  teaching,  that  remarkable  scene,  with  its  con- 
comitant feelings  and  emotions,  in  the   church   of  mv  native  vil- 
lage, some  twenty-three  years  before,  which  had  seemingly  been 
forgotten,  came  back  with  wonderful  vividness.     Then  I  knew 
what  it  meant.     All  was  made  plain.     Christ  met  me  there. 

Thus  was  this  man  led  step  by  step  to  the  knowledge 
of  God  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  the  awe-stricken 
boy,  amid  the  flickering  tapers  and  pictures  of  Roman- 
ism on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  becomes  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament 
among  the  Sierras  of  California. 

In  the  fall  of  1864,  having  been  recommended  by  the 


346  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Coulterville  Class,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Snelling  Circuit  Quarterly  Conference,  J.  L.  Burchard 
being  the  presiding  elder,  and  D.  A.  Jamison  secre- 
tary. 

He  was  employed  in  1866  as  a  supply  on  the  Sonora 
Circuit,  and  the  following  year  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Pacific  Conference. 

Brother  Alsanson  is  a  tall,  slenderly-built  Austrian, 
with  a  strong  German  accent.  He  has  ever  been  a 
hard  student,  and,  having  a  retentive  memory,  he  has 
his  mind  well  supplied  with  the  thoughts  of  the  best 
authors,  is  well  posted  in  doctrine,  thinks  deeply,  and 
exj:>resses  his  thoughts  with  clearness  and  beauty.  To 
the  cultivated  his  accent  adds  something-  of  a  charm  to 
his  speech.  He  is  ever  earnest  in  the  pulpit,  and  has 
done  us  good  work.  Those  who  have  sat  longest  un- 
der his  ministry  appreciate  him  most.  His  heart  is  in 
the  work,  and  he  esteems  no  labor  or  self-denial  too 
great  to  be  endured  in  the  service  of  Him  who  led  him 
by  so  strange  a  path  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

As  there  was  but  the  single  applicant  for  admis- 
sion, we  felt  the  need  of  humbling  ourselves  before 
God,  and  hence  the  following  resolution  was  adopted 
on  the  second  day  of  the  session: 

Resolved,  That  we  will  observe  the  Friday  before  the  first 
Sunday  in  December  next  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  to  the 
great  Head  of  the  Church  to  raise  up,  call,  commission,  and  send 
forth  laborers  into  the  whitening  fields  on  this  coast. 

While  God  fully  understands  the  wants  of  his  Church, 
he  nevertheless  has  commanded  his  followers  to  pray 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  more  laborers 
into  his  harvest,  and  the  Church  that  fails  to  do  this 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  347 

will  soon  find  the  ranks  of  her  ministry  thinned  and 
deserted.  A  profound  sense  of  this  fact  pressed  itself 
upon  our  minds,  and  hence  we  resolved  to  make  amends. 

During  the  previous  year  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Luckey, 
D.D.,  had  resigned  the  Presidency  of  Pacific  Method- 
ist College.  He  retired  with  the  love  and  esteem  of 
all  connected  with  the  institution,  and  the  Rev.  J.  R. 
Thomas,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  at  the  head  of  Emory  College, 
Oxford,  Georgia,  was  tendered  the  Presidency.  He 
accepted,  and  at  once  came  out  and  assumed  control  of 
the  college.  He  was  a  man  of  vast  learning,  and  one 
of  the  noblest  of  the  noble.  He  continued  President 
of  the  college  until  its  removal  to  Santa  Rosa,  when  he 
removed  to  Mendocino  County,  and  has  lived  in  retire- 
ment ever  since.  He  was  once  or  twice  elected  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction  in  his  county,  and  sev- 
eral times  he  has  had  charge  of  a  school;  but  he  lives 
in  retirement  amid  the  quiet  of  his  little  home,  exerting 
a  blessed  influence  on  the  community  in  which  he 
dwells. 

Among-  the  noble  acts  of  our  Conference  was  the 
surrender  of  all  the  missionary  drafts  held  against  the 
Missionary  Board  to  assist  in  paying  the  "  old  mission- 
ary debt."  The  following  is  the  resolution  adopted  by 
the  Conference,  and  cheerfully  acquiesced  in  by  those 
in  possession  of  these  drafts: 

Resolved,  That  the  preachers  of  the  Pacific  Conference  hold- 
ing drafts  against  the  Missionary  Society  are  requested  to  relin- 
quish the  same,  and  these  drafts  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the 
Pacific  Conference  in  payment  of  its  proportion  of  the  "  old  mis- 
sionary debt,"  as  assessed  by  the  late  General  Conference. 

This  "old  missionary  debt'' was  a  debt  of  honor. 
During  the  war  our  Church  was  cut  off  from  all  com- 


34S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

munication  with  the  outside  world,  and  we  had  no 
means  of  sending  money  to  sustain  our  Mission  in 
China.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Carleton,  of  the  M.  E.  Church 
(North),  in  the  city  of  New  York,  took  the  risk,  and 
sent  all  the  money  that  was  necessary  to  keep  the  Mis- 
sion alive,  trusting:  to  the  honor  of  our  Church  to  re- 
pay  him  should  we  ever  be  able.  When  our  people 
came  out  of  the  war,  utterly  ruined  financially,  one  of 
the  first  things  done  by  them  was  to  pay  this  debt. 
The  preachers  of  the  Pacific  Conference  were  poorly 
able  to  give  up  these  drafts,  but  they  cheerfully  did  it 
to  the  amount  of  $2,140,  and  have  never  been  the  poorer 
for  it.  We  admit  that  it  was  not  a  very  equitable  way 
of  meeting  our  share  of  this  old  debt,  for  it  forced  some 
of  the  preachers  to  pay  from  one  to  two  hundred  dol- 
lars, while  others  who  held  no  drafts  paid  nothing. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  349 


II  0< 

^=y    in« 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

rafHE  eighteenth  session  was  held  in  Sacramento, 
I  October  7-17,  1868,  Bishop  E.  M.  Marvin  presid- 
ig.  This  was  Bishop  Marvin's  first  visit  to  our 
coast,  and  this  was  a  stormy  and  protracted  session, 
lasting  ten  days.  But  with  the  utmost  patience  did  he 
bear  all  the  responsibilities  and  labors  of  the  Confer- 
ence. There  had  been  misunderstandings  among  some 
of  the  members,  and  a  thorough  and  careful  investiga- 
tion of  these  things  became  necessary.  But  out  of  all 
our  difficulties  the  Lord  in  his  kind  providence  brought 
us.  In  many  respects  it  was  a  memorable  Conference. 
The  saintly  Marvin  came  to  us  in  the  fullness  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  He  read  the  parable  of  the  ten 
virgins,  and  after  some  very  impressive  remarks  he 
conducted  a  prayer-meeting  that  was  characterized  by 
great  fervor  and  religious  interest.  He  made  the  im- 
pression, without  seeming  to  try  to  do  so,  that  he  was 
a  man  who  lived  near  to  God.  Placed  at  the  head  of  a 
band  of  Methodist  preachers,  it  was  an  easy  matter  for 
him  to  kindle  the  deepest  devotion,  and  lead  them  into 
a  happy  state  of  religious  enjoyment. 

David  F.  Overton,  Lewis  C.  Renfro,  and  J.  K.  P. 
Price  were  received  on  trial  at  this  Conference. 

D.  F.  Overton,  after  traveling  four  years,  located,  at 
his  own  request. 

L.  C.  Renfro  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Missouri, 
February    1,    1843.     His  people,  who  came  originally 


35°  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

from  Kentucky,  were  all  Missionary  Baptists.  He  was 
the  first  of  the  family  to  break  ranks  and  join  the 
Methodist  Church.  The  family  moved  to  California, 
and  settled  in  Yolo  County,  in  1853.  Here  he  was 
raised.  The  foundation  of  his  education  was  laid  in 
the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was 
soundly  converted  to  God.  He  had  aspirations  for  a 
higher  education  than  the  public  schools  could  give 
him,  and  turned  his  thoughts  to  Pacific  Methodist  Col- 
lege, then  in  its  infancy.  He  entered  college  in  the 
fall  of  1861,  and  continued  his  course  until  he  graduated 
in  1867.  While  in  college  he  was  upright  in  all  his 
deportment,  and  exerted  a  healthful  religious  influence 
among  his  fellow-students.  The  visits  of  his  pastor  to 
his  little  "  cabin  on  the  hill  "  were  always  met  with  a 
cordiality  that  showed  that  he  appreciated  them.  Soon 
after  his  conversion  he  was  put  to  work.  In  college 
he  did  not  refuse  when  called  upon  to  do  any  thing  for 
the  Master.  Hence  he  has  never  known  any  thing 
else  than  to  work  and  to  prosper.  He  heard  the  voice 
of  Jesus  in  the  beginning  of  his  Christian  career,  "  Oc- 
cupy till  I  come,"  and  he  has  never  known  a  period  of 
idleness. 

He  taught  school  for  a  year  after  graduation,  and 
then  entered  the  itinerancy,  where  he  has  found  abun- 
dant opportunity  to  work  for  God  and  his  Church. 
His  indefatigable  labors  have  brought  prosperity  to  the 
Churcn  wherever  he  has  been  sent. 

He  had  hard  work  completing  a  church  in  Colusa 
his  first  year,  and  yet  he  found  time  to  complete  two 
years'  study  in  one,  passed  a  creditable  examination, 
and  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Marvin  at  the  en- 
suing Conference 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  351 

He  has  filled  some  important  stations,  and  always 
does  his  work  well. 

In  187 1  he  was  elected  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Conference,  and  served  in  that  capacity  till  1877,  when 
he  was  elected  Secretary,  which  position  he  has  held  to 
the  present.  His  records  pass  unchallenged  by  General 
Conference  committees.  His  motto  is,  "  Faithfulness  in 
small  as  well  as  great  matters." 

J.  K.  P.  Price  was  horn  in  Sebastian  County,  Ar- 
kansas, June  30,  1S43.  His  family  moved  to  California 
in  1S53.  In  the  fall  of  1858,  at  a  camp-meeting  held 
by  the  Rev.  J.  Kelsay,  he  was  converted.  Some  years 
after  he  felt  moved  to  preach  the  gospel,  and,  confer- 
ring not  with  flesh  and  blood,  he  gave  himself  unre- 
servedly to  the  work  of  God.  Naturally  of  a  timid 
disposition,  he  at  first  had  a  hard  struggle.  But  en- 
couraged by  his  brethren  and  a  strong  sense  of  duty, 
he  pressed  on  in  his  noble  work,  steadily  rising  in  use- 
fulness until  he  has  reached  the  presiding  eldership. 

He,  like  many  others,  owes  much  to  the  pious  at- 
mosj:)here  that  surrounded  his  early  life  in  the  home 
circle.  His  parents  were  deeply  pious,  and  he  saw  in 
those  he  loved  best  the  marks  and  signs  of  genuine 
Christianity. 

There  were  reported  at  this  Conference  ^o  Sunday- 
schools,  with  345  officers  and  teachers,  1,891  pupils,  66 
conversions  among  the  children,  and  $1,451.75  collect- 
ed and  expended  for  Sunday-school  purposes.  The 
net  increase  in  the  membership  of  the  Church  was  260, 
and  the  net  increase  in  Church-property  was  $5,429. 

Thus  we  were  steadily  advancing  in  all  the  interests 
of  the  Church;  and  although  we  were  not  making  the 
rapid  strides   of  many  who  belonged  to  the  older  Con- 


35; 


History  or  Southern  Methodism 


ferences,  and  who  could  not  appreciate  the  difficulties 
with  which  we  had  to  contend,  yet  this  was  encour- 
aging. Sometimes  not  to  lose  is  to  gain.  Simply 
holding  one's  position  is  worth  as  much  in  the  final 
summing  up  as  to  advance. 

For  two  or  three  years  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  had  been 
editing  The  Christian  Spcctato?'  at  his  own  risk.  It 
was  not  in  the  hands  of  the  Conference,  and  although 
it  was  looked  upon  as  our  paper,  yet  it  was  an  individ- 
ual enterprise;  and  the  Conference  and  Church  were 
under  a  lasting  debt  of  obligation  to  Dr.  Fitzgerald  for 
this  paper.  It  had  won  its  way  to  prominence,  was 
now  upon  what  was  regarded  as  a  safe  basis,  and  the 
Conference  therefore  adopted  it  as  their  organ,  pledg- 
ing themselves  for  its  support. 

Bishop  Marvin  remained  on  the  coast  during  the 
year,  visiting  from  place  to  place,  and  preaching  and 
laboring  in  revivals  wherever  he  wrent.  He  would 
preach,  and  when  penitents  presented  themselves  at 
the  altar  for  prayers,  he  came  down  among  them  and 
labored  with  all  the  ardor  and  zeal  necessary,  never 
sparing  himself.  He  strengthened  the  hands  of  the 
ministers  and  Church  wherever  he  went. 

His  stay  and  labors  with  us  demonstrated  the  impor- 
tance to  us  and  our  work  of  a  Bishop  remaining  on 
the  coast  all  the  while.  Our  work  on  this  coast  was 
peculiar,  and  we  needed  some  one  like  Bishop  Marvin 
to  direct  and  assist  us  in  sustainins:  the  Church  and  car- 
rying  on  the  work  in  which  we  are  engaged;  and  we 
hope  yet  to  see  the  day  when  one  of  our  General  Su- 
perintendents will  reside  in  the  State. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  353 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

pHE  nineteenth  session  was   held  in  Vacaville,  in 

W  the  college-building,  beginning  October  6,  1869, 
"iM  Bishop  E.  M.  Marvin  again  presiding.  His  stay 
with  us  during  the  year  had  bound  him  closely  to  all 
our  hearts.  He  had  spent  two  weeks  in  Vacaville,  la- 
boring in  an  extensive  revival  of  religion,  in  which 
many  of  the  students  had  been  converted,  and  the 
Church  strengthened  and  blessed.  The  citizens  and 
students  there  were  sharers  in  the  pleasures  of  this 
Conference. 

We  had  but  a  single  applicant  for  admission  on  trial 
in  the  Conference — J.  W.  Allen — recommended  from 
the  Los  Angeles  District.  He  was  appointed  as  assist- 
ant or  junior  preacher  on  the  San  Bernardino  Circuit 
with  M.  W.  Glover,  and  when  the  Los  Angeles  Con- 
ference was  organized  he  remained  with  it,  and  is  still 
an  honored  member  of  that  body. 

Four  were  re-admitted — viz.:  J.  P.  Jones,  formerly 
of  the  Montgomery  Conference;  J.  L.  Brown,  of  the 
Missouri  Conference;  and  J.  M.  Lovell  and  A.  M.  Bai- 
ley, formerly  of  the  Pacific  Conference.  Of  the  last 
two  we  have  spoken  elsewhere. 

J.  P.  Jones  was  a  good  preacher  and  useful  man.  It 
was  through  his  labors  and  instrumentality  that  the 
church  in  Vacaville  was  erected.  We  had  always  used 
the  college  chapel  as  a  place  of  worship,  but  he,  with 
others,  thought  we  ought  to  have  a  church-building, 
and  it  was  accordingly  put  up  in  1871. 


354  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

He  labored  with  us  until  1S73,  when  he  located,  at 
his  own  request.  Afterward  he  united  with  the  Los 
Angeles  Conference,  but  is  again  in  the  local  ranks. 

J.  L.  Brown  was  sent  to  San  Luis  Obispo,  and  also 
became  a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles  Conference  at 
its  organization,  we  believe. 

We  received  by  transfer  J.  Kelsay,  D.  M.  Rice,  J. 
W.  Craig,  and  John  Wood,  from  the  Columbia  Con- 
ference. All,  except  the  last  named,  were  in  orders. 
He  was  in  his  first  year.  Also  Abram  Adams,  from  the 
Mobile  Conference. 

Kelsay  and  Rice  had  been  members  of  the  Pacific 
Conference. 

J.  W.  Craig  was  an  Oregon  -  made  preacher.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  while  he  was  yet  a  lad,  and 
from  the  first  he  gave  promise  of  great  power  and  use- 
fulness. He  was  eminently  scriptural  in  his  preaching; 
besides,  there  was  an  unction  accompanying  all  his 
ministrations  that  held  his  audiences  spell-bound.  No 
young  man  ever  licensed  on  the  coast  gave  richer 
promise  of  usefulness  than  he.  But  from  some  cause 
in  after-years  he  seemed  to  be  shorn  of  much  of  his 
strength.  He  remained  a  member  of  the  Pacific  Con- 
ference until  1S74,  when  he  returned  to  his  native  Con- 
ference. 

John  Wood  was  a  young  man,  a  brother-in-law  of  J. 
W.  Craig.  He  did  good  work  in  our  Conference  for  a 
number  of  years,  when  he  transferred  to  the  Los  An- 
geles Conference,  where  he  still  labors. 

A.  Adams  was  sent  to  San  Bernardino  Circuit,  and 
as  that  point  was  in  the  bounds  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Conference  at  its  organization,  he  remained  in  that  Con- 
ference. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  355 

At  this  session  a  committee,  consisting  of  Jesse  Wood, 
Samuel  Brown,  M.  W.  Glover,  J.  G.  Shelton,  and. L.J. 
Hedgpeth,  was  appointed  to  prepare  and  report  a  plan 
for  a  Church  Extension  Society;  and  indue  time  they 
presented  the  following  plan,  which  was  adopted  and 
put  into  immediate  execution: 

Your  committee,  appointed  to  report  a  plan  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  Church  Extension  Society,  beg  leave  to  offer  as  their 
report  the  following  resolutions: 

Resolved,  1.  That  we  organize  a  permanent  Society,  to  be 
styled  "The  Church  Extension  Society  of  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South." 

2.  That  the  Society  shall  be  composed  of  a  President  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  Bishop  from  among  the  preachers  of  this  Confer- 
ence, a  Vice-president,  Secretary,  and  Treasurer,  and  a  Board  of 
Directors,  composed  of  one  preacher  in  each  presiding  elder's 
district  in  the  Conference.  All  of  them  shall  be  elected  annual- 
ly by  the  Conference. 

3.  That  when  all  the  officers  and  directors  have  had  sufficient 
notice  given  them  of  a  meeting,  the  presence  of  five  others,  with  the 
President,  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

4.  That  the  presiding  elders  of  the  Conference  shall  be  ex 
officio  Corresponding  Secretaries  of  the  Society,  whose  duty  it 
shall  be  to  furnish  information  to  the  Society  of  means  and  meas- 
ures within  their  districts. 

5.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Society  (1)  to  devise  a  plan 
for  raising  funds  to  aid  in  purchasing  church  and  parsonage  lots 
in  desirable  places,  aid  in  erecting  church  and  parsonage  build- 
ings thereon,  and  for  the  support  of  its  own  missionaries;  (2)  to 
procure  from  the  local  ranks  or  otherwise  ministerial  aid  for  the 
occupation  of  new  territory,  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
presiding  elder  nearest  the  work;  (3)  to  furnish  information  as  to 
the  dimensions,  style,  and  probable  cost  of  church-buildings  and 
parsonages. 

6.  That  the  Bishop  be  requested  to  appoint  a  missionary,  to  act 
under  the  direction  of  the  Society,  for  the  furtherance  of  its  ob- 
jects, whose  salary  shall  be  paid  out  of  the  funds  of  the  Society. 


3^6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

So  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Pacific  Conference  moved 
in  advance  of  the  General  Conference  on  this  line  a 
number  of  years.  We  saw  and  felt  the  necessity  of 
such  an  organization;  and  although  in  its  practical 
workings  it  did  not  accomplish  any  great  things,  yet  it 
showed  the  wisdom  of  our  Conference  in  its  organiza- 
tion. 

There  had  been  a  good  deal  of  antagonism  between 
ours  and  the  M.  E.  Church  (no  fault  of  ours);  but  now 
they  seemed  inclined  to  cultivate  more  fraternal  rela- 
tions with  us;  and  the  California  Conference  of  the  M. 
E.  Church,  at  its  session  a  few  weeks  previous  to  ours, 
appointed  a  committee  of  two  of  their  leading  mem- 
bers— viz.,  E.  Thomas,  D.D.,  and  M.  C.  Briggs,  D.D. — 
as  fraternal  delegates  to  the  Pacific  Conference,  who, 
upon  their  introduction,  presented  the  following  writ- 
ten expressions  of  fraternity: 

To  the  Bishop  and  Members  of  the-  Pacific  Annual  Conference 

of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

Dear  Fathers  a?id  Brethren: — At  the  late  session  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  the  undersigned  were 
appointed  to  attend  your  session,  and  bear  to  you  the  fraternal 
considerations  and  greetings  of  that  body.  In  pursuance  of  that 
appointment  and  the  mission  it  implies,  we  salute  you  in  the  name 
of  our  common  Lord,  and  in  the  faith  and  interests  of  our  com- 
mon Methodism. 

Having  a  common  origin  and  aim,  and — abating  a  regretful 
parenthesis  of  some  twenty-five  years — a  common  history,  it 
seems  to  us  duly  right  and  proper  that  we  should  cultivate  the 
amenities  and  exchange  the  courtesies  that  pertain  to  Christian 
brotherhood,  and  that  are  pre-eminently  fitting  among  those 
whcse  peculiar  views  of  gospel  truth  make  pre-eminent  the  pro- 
foundest  and  most  comprehensive  charity — supreme  love  to  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ — and  from  equal  love  to  each  other.  To  our 
apprehension  the  harmony  of  union,  communion,  and  co-opera- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  357 

tion  must  come  of  the  charity  that  hopeth  all  things,  thinketh  no 
evil,  never  faileth.  We  are  persuaded  that  this  love — heaven-de- 
scended— is  possessing  in  large  and  augmenting  measure  hearts 
too  long  estranged,  and  that  its  frank  expression  and  free  outflow 
will  refresh  and  render  fruitful  places  of  Zion  long  waste  and 
desolate. 

The  occasion  or  cause  of  our  separation,  and  the  too  passion- 
ate controversy  thence  arising,  we  would  remember  only  as  in- 
centives to  hearty  and  deep  repentance,  and  as  the  inclination  to 
a  higher  and  sublime  devotion  to  our  divine  and  cherished  mis- 
sion— spread  of  scriptural  holiness  over  these  lands — in  the  re- 
stored oneness  for  which  we  now  love  to  hope  and  pray;  one 
leadership,  the  exponent  of  which  is  our  itinerant  General  Su- 
perintendency;  one  sentiment  animating  the  entire  forces  of 
American  Methodism,  the  energy  of  our  wonderful  and  aggress- 
ive system;  the  pure  faith  and  rich  experience  of  our  fathers, 
held  and  realized  by  all  the  embattled  hosts  of  our  Zion;  our 
only  foes  irrational  and  credulous  skepticism,  arrogant  and  am- 
bitious popery,  absorbing  and  consuming  worldliness,  and  all  the 
forms  and  phases  of  vice  thence  arising.  These  considerations 
granted,  we  may  push  the  conquests  of  the  Cross  over  all  the  re- 
gions wasted  by  sin,  and  hasten  the  reign  of  righteousness  and 
peace. 

Tendencies  to  organic  union  are  marked  among  the  religious 
bodies.  Nor  can  we  fail  to  note  that  divine  and  all-embracing 
charity  pauses  not  at  lines  of  sect  or  party,  but  is  self-diffusing  as 
the  light,  and  warming  as  the  sun's  rays,  and  seeks  to  make  itself 
universal.  We  have  no  theory  to  present,  or  plans  or  measures 
to  name.  Nor  are  we  charged  with  proposals.  We  come  as 
brothers  from  brothers  with  fraternal  salutations.  If  jour  hearts 
are  as  our  hearts,  give  us  your  hands,  and  the  union  of  hearts 
and  hands  in  the  service  of  the  Lord  will  overcome  the  obstacles 
of  official  and  organic  union — the  consummation  which  will 
hasten  the  era  of  peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to  men,  as  it  will 
heighten  to  joy  of  heaven.         [Signed]  E.  Thomas, 

M.  C.  Briggs. 

O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  W.  R.   Gober.   and  J.  C.  Simmons 


358  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

were  appointed  a  committee  to  respond.     In  due  time 
they  made  the  following  response: 

Fraternal  Messengers: — The  undersigned,  appointed  by  this 
body  to  respond  to  the  address  presented  by  the  Rev.  Drs.  E. 
Thomas  and  M.  C.  Briggs,  as  fraternal  delegates  from  the  Cali- 
fornia Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church  to  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence, feel  fully  assured  that  they  are  the  exponents  of  the  real 
sentiments  of  our  preachers  and  people  when  they  say  that  they 
hail  this  overture  for  more  friendly  relations  with  devout  and 
profound  gratification.  It  is  our  hope  and  prayer  that  the  tend- 
ency and  movement  toward  a  better  understanding  and  rela- 
tions— when  in  the  spirit  of  our  holy  Christianity — will  continue 
and  increase;  that  God  may  be  glorified,  and  that  the  kingdom 
of  our  common  Lord  may  be  advanced.  Reciprocating  cordially 
the  kindly  spirit  and  fraternal  expressions  contained  in  the  ad- 
dress of  these  brethren,  we  recommend  the  appointment  of  two 
members  of  the  Pacific  Conference  as  fraternal  messengers  to 
the  California  Conference  at  its  next  session. 

[Signed]  O.  P.  Fitzgerald, 

W.  R.  Gober, 
J.  C.  Simmons. 

After  quite  a  number  of  kindly  speeches  had  been 
made  on  the  part  of  members  of  the  Conference,  Bish- 
op Marvin  made  some  telling  remarks  with  reference 
to  the  M.  E.  Church  still  holding  property  that  belonged 
to  us  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  that  had  been 
wrested  from  us  by  the  strong  hand  of  war.  He  said 
that  he  wanted  to  see  this  property  restored  before  the 
hand  of  fraternity  was  extended;  that,  as  a  man  that 
loved  righteousness,  he  could  not "  gush  "  with  sentiment 
until  wrongs  were  righted  and  property  restored.  And 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Bishops  of  the  two  Meth- 
odisms  were  planning  for  a  full  and  equitable  adjust- 
ment of  the  difficulties  and  differences  existing  between 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  359 

the  two  Churches,  the  Conference  adopted  the  follow- 
ing resolution: 

Resolved,  That  we  heartily  indorse  the  reply  of  our  Bishops 
to  the  propositions  of  the  Bishops  of  the  M.  E.  Church  (North), 
made  to  them  at  their  recent  meeting  in  St.  Louis,  as  appropriate, 
kind,  and  Christian  in  its  diction,  tone,  and  sentiment. 

[Signed1  Jesse  Wood, 

Samuel  Brown. 

The  propositions  referred  to  came  from  the  College  of 
Northern  Bishops,  expressed  to  our  Bishops  in  their 
annual  meeting  in  St.  Louis,  in  May  of  this  year  (1S69), 
conveyed  by  Bishops  Janes  and  Simpson.  This  over- 
ture resulted  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Cape  May  Com- 
mission," at  which  "  conflicting  claims  to  property  were 
adjudicated,  both  on  general  principles  and  in  special 
cases;  and  directions  were  laid  down  regulating  the  oc- 
cupation of  places,  as  well  as  property.*' 

This  Joint  Commission,  which  held  its  sessions  from 
August  17  to  23,  1S76,  in  the  beginning  of  their  delib- 
erations, without  a  dissenting  voice,  adopted  this  basis 
and  declaration  of  the  two  Churches: 

Status  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South,  atid  their  co-ordinate  rela- 
tions as  legitimate  branches  of  Episcopal  Methodism. 

Each  of  said  Church  is  a  legitimate  branch  of  Episcopal  Meth- 
odism in  the  United  States,  having  a  common  origin  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  organized  in  17S4;  and  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  was  consum- 
mated in  1846  by  the  voluntary  exercise  of  the  right  of  the  South- 
ern Annual  Conferences,  ministers,  and  members  to  adhere  to  that 
communion,  it  has  been  an  evangelical  Church,  reared  on  script- 
ural foundations,  and  her  ministers  and  members,  with  those  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  have  constituted  one  family, 
though  in  distinct  ecclesiastical  connections. 


360  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

The  results  of  this  Commission  were  finally  indorsed 
by  the  ecclesiastical  bodies  of  both  Churches. 

The  delegates  to  the  ensuing  General  Conference 
elected  at  this  Conference  were — clerical,  O.  Fisher,  T. 
C.  Barton,  and  E.  K.  Miller;  lay,  W.  T.  Rucker,  W.  E. 
Cocke,  and  W.  R.  Bane. 

A  review  of  the  year's  labors  by  the  Committee  on 
the  State  of  the  Work  filled  them  with  gratitude  for 
the  success  that  had  attended  our  labors.  They  say :  "  The 
state  of  the  work  is  decidedly  encouraging,  whether  we 
regard  it  from  material  or  spiritual  stand-points,  in   its 

actual,  comparative,  or  prospective  aspects 

Church-property  has  been  acquired,  beautiful  temples 
have  been  erected  and  dedicated  to  God,  pecuniary  em- 
barrassments have  been  removed  out  of  the  way  of  both 
Church  and  educational  enterprises,  new  projects  have 
been  inaugurated,  new  fields  have  been  entered  and  oc- 
cupied, and  yet  so  inviting  is  the  territory  still  beyond 
us  that  the  heart  of  every  devoted  member  of  our  little 
band  pulsates  with  renewed  ardor  as  he  lifts  up  his 
eyes  to  the  whitening  fields  and  catches  the  sentiment 
of  apostolic  zeal  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  regions  be- 
yond. .  .  Our  statistical  exhibit  this  year  will  show 
an  increase  of  membership  over  the  preceding  of  some 
=572.  .  .  .  Our  future,  brethren,  on  this  coast  is  a 
glorious  one,  if  we  are  true  to  ourselves,  our  Church, 
and  our  God." 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  361 


CHAPTER  XX. 

1HE  twentieth  session  was  held  in  Stockton,  Octo- 

Ww  ber  5,  1870,  Bishop  W.  M.  Wightman  presiding. 

^3    This  was    Bishop  Wightman's   first  visit  to  our 

Conference,  and  we  were  very  much   impressed  with 

his  dignity  and  scholarly  appearance. 

Only  three  candidates  for  admission  presented  them- 
selves at  this  session — Robert  H.  Rhodes,  from  Stock- 
ton Station;  Asbury  P.  Black,  from  Millerton  Circuit; 
and  Thomas  K.  Howell,  from  Visalia  Circuit.  All  were 
admitted. 

R.  H.  Rhodes  was  sent  as  junior  preacher  on  the 
Santa  Clara  Circuit,  but  gave  up  the  work  after  a  few 
months'  trial,  and  was  discontinued  at  his  own  request 
at  the  ensuing  session. 

A.  P.  Black  was  born  in  Cherokee  County,  Ga.,  No- 
vember 8,  1842.  He  was  one  who  sought  the  Lord  in 
childhood.  He  united  with  the  Church  "when  but  nine 
years  of  age,  although  he  did  not  experience  a  satisfac- 
tory change  of  heart  until  in  his  thirteenth  year.  He  was 
teaching  school  in  his  native  State  when  the  late  Civil 
War  occurred.  He  was  then  but  nineteen  years  of  age. 
Promptly  closing  his  school,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier;  and 
although  so  young,  his  virtues  were  so  much  appreci- 
ated that  he  was  placed  in  various  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility.  But  amid  all  the  excitement,  turmoil, 
and  temptation  of  that  awful  period,  he  never  forgot 
that  he  was  a  soldier  of  Tesus  Christ,  nor  that  his  first 


362  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

allegiance  was  to  him.  His  Bible  was  his  constant  com- 
panion, and  night  and  morning  in  his  tent  he  read  its 
sacred  words  of  comfort  and  consolation. 

In  the  year  1866  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Quarterly  Conference  of  Calhoun  Circuit,  North  Geor- 
gia Conference.  In  1869  he  came  to  California  and  lo- 
cated in  the  bounds  of  the  Millerton  Circuit.  He  was 
in  feeble  health  when  he  joined  the  Conference.  His 
first  work  was  on  the  Stockton  Circuit.  His  zeal  and 
faithfulness  on  that  work  left  the  impression  upon  saint 
and  sinner  that  he  was  a  good  man.  A  foreigner,  con- 
templating his  character,  once  remarked:  "I  think  he 
is  the  best  man  I  ever  saw.  If  preachers  were  all  as 
earnest,  faithful,  and  pious  as  he  is,  they  would  convert 
the  world." 

The  next  year  he  was  sent  to  the  Sonora  Circuit. 
Here  he  soon  won  all  hearts,  working  diligently  and 
prayerfully  for  the  Master.  His  labors  at  the  close  of 
the  year  culminated  in  a  glorious  revival  of  religion. 
Although  the  people  of  the  circuit  knew  that  his  health 
was  hopelessly  gone,  yet  they  desired  his  return,  and 
he  was  accordingly  sent  back.  He  preached  but  five 
sermons  after  Conference,  when  he  turned  his  steps  to 
the  little  parsonage,  that  an  affectionate  people  had  fitted 
up  for  him,  to  await  the  end.  For  two  long  months  or 
more  he  had  to  wait  and  suffer  the  will  of  his  Saviour. 
During  this  period  of  waiting  he  talked  to  all  who  came 
to  see  him,  impressing  them  with  the  fact  that  it  was 
good  to  trust  Christ  and  be  resigned  to  his  will.  When 
the  final  hour  came,  calling  his  wife  and  children  to  his 
bedside,  he  gave  them  his  parting  benediction,  and  with 
the  expression,  "Blessed  Jesus!"  upon  his  lips,  he  fell 
asleep. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  363 

Thomas  K.  Howell  was  born  in  Pope  County,  Ar- 
kansas, September  17,  1S43.  He  was  another  example 
of  early  piety.  When  but  a  little  child  he  became  much 
interested  on  the  subject  of  religion.  His  mother  taught 
him  the  usual  prayer  of  childhood:  "Now  I  lay  me 
down  to  sleep."  This  he  could  not  comprehend,  and 
asked  her  to  give  him  a  prayer  that  he  could  understand, 
when  she  gave  him  the  following  formula  that  pleased 
him,  and  that  he  repeated  many  times  a  day:  "O 
Lord,  make  me  a  good  boy;  help  me  to  obey  my  moth- 
er, and  when  I  get  to  be  a  man,  make  me  a  good 
Christian."  When  in  his  sixteenth  year  he  became 
deeply  concerned  about  his  soul's  salvation,  and  sought 
for  the  evidence  of  his  acceptance  with  God  with  all 
his  heart;  and  while  raking  hay  in  his  fathers  field, 
God  let  in  the  light  of  his  Spirit  and  thrilled  him 
with  the  consciousness  of  pardon.  With  this  blessing 
came  the  call  to  work  for  Jesus.  At  once  he  began  to 
cast  about  in  his  mind  how  he  could  best  fulfill  the  will 
of  God.  His  first  desire  was  for  an  education.  He  en- 
tered Pacific  Methodist  College,  and  graduated  in  1867. 
He  was  soon  called  to  a  chair  in  Visalia  Seminary,  which 
he  filled  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned  for 
the  space  of  three  years. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Visalia  Station, 
where  he  labored  with  great  acceptability  among  the 
people  with  whom  he  had  lived  three  years.  The  next 
year  he  was  sent  to  Vacaville,  where  he  had  been  edu- 
cated. His  consistent  life  in  college  only  prepared  the 
way  for  usefulness  on  this  charge.  He  was  very  suc- 
cessful here.  The  next  appointment  given  him  was 
Petaluma.  He  went  and  preached  the  first  Sabbath 
after  Conference,  and  returned  to  Vacaville  to  close  up 


364  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

his  matters  there,  and  make  a  short  visit  to  his  parents 
in  Copperopolis. 

In  conversation  with  his  mother,  who  had  always 
been  his  spiritual  adviser,  soon  after  his  arrival,  he 
spoke  of  his  own  labors  to  build  up  the  cause  of  Christ. 
He  said  it  did  seem  to  him  that  the  gospel  of  Jesus  was 
so  precious,  and  so  well  adapted  to  the  wants  of  our 
race,  that  when  he  presented  it  to  the  people  they  would 
embrace  it  gladly.  "  But,"  said  he,  "they  do  not;  and 
I  fear  I  am  not  sufficiently  holy  myself,  and  I  thought 
I  would  come  home,  and  here  in  these  mountains  I 
would  fast  and  pray  until  God  would  bless  me  with 
more  of  his  Spirit,  and  thus  fit  me  for  his  work." 

The  following  Sabbath  his  mother  found  him  alone, 
with  tears  running  down  his  cheeks  (a  very  unusual 
thing  with  him — he  scarcely  ever  wept).  At  her  ap- 
proach he  said,  "  O  mother,  I  have  had  such  over- 
whelming manifestations  of  the  goodness  of  God  I  am 
melted  into  tenderness!     I  cannot  help  Weeping." 

Soon  after  reaching  home  he  was  attacked  with  in- 
termittent congestive  fever,  accompanied  with  hemor- 
rhage of  the  lungs.  After  the  first  attack  he  grew  bet- 
ter, and  his  friends  thought  he  would  soon  get  well; 
but  a  more  violent  attack  dashed  all  their  hopes,  and 
they  felt  that  God  had  led  him  home  to  die.  He  "  was 
tranquil  amid  alarms,"  and  with  perfect  composure  ar- 
ranged all  his  worldly  business,  not  forgetting  his  Alma 
Alater,  leaving  one  hundred  dollars  of  his  little  store 
for  Pacific  Methodist  College.  When  he  mentioned 
some  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  to  whom  he  was 
ardently  attached,  his  brother  proposed  to  telegraph  for 
them.  "No,"  said  he;  "  they  are  all  at  work  for  Jesus, 
and  it  won't  do  to  call   them  away  from  their  work." 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  365 

He  talked  all  the  time  of  the  Church,  expressing  the 
most  ardent  desire  for  its  prosperity  and  success.  Even 
when  in  delirium,  his  mind  in  its  wandering  dwelt  on 
nothing  else.  The  most  hallowed  influences  filled  the 
room  where  God's  chosen  servant  was  waiting  for  the 
heavenly  messengers.  Just  before  he  died,  he  said, 
u  Jesus,  precious  Jesus!  my  race  is  almost  run.  I  have 
followed  Jesus  faithfully.  I  shall  soon  be  in  heaven. 
God  bless  you  all."  His  dying  ear  caught  the  sound  of 
coming  bands  of  angels,  and  he  spoke  of  their  music, 
saying,  "  Do  you  hear  the  singing  of  that  band  of  an- 
gels? I  can  hear  it  distinctly."  The  voices  of  these 
celestial  messengers  fell  upon  his  ear  ere  the  vail  of  his 
earthly  tabernacle  was  rent.  The  whole  community 
was  deeply  moved  by  his  death.  One  man,  a  professed 
infidel,  as  he  stood  by  the  corpse,  said,  "  If  there  is  a 
heaven,  Tommy  Howell  has  gone  there."  His  death 
occurred  December  3,  1872. 

Thus  these  two  loving,  sweet-spirited  young  preach- 
ers entered  the  Conference  together,  and  were  both 
called  from  labor  within  a  few  months  of  each  other. 

No  subject  that  has  ever  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
Pacific  Conference  has  given  it  more  solicitude  than  the 
sustaining  of  a  religious  paper  in  our  midst.  At  al- 
most every  Conference  it  has  come  in  for  its  full  share 
of  attention.  And  the  appeals  for  help  have  been  urg- 
ent and  long-continued.  For  several  years  O.  P.  Fitz- 
gerald had  been  editing  The  Christian  Spectator,  and 
carrying  much  of  its  burden.  But  a  change  was 
thought  by  some  to  be  for  the  best;  and  while  the  Con- 
ference by  formal  action  said,  "  While  we  express  our 
appreciation  of  the  ability  of  the  Rev.  O.  P.  Fitzgerald 
as  an  editor,  and  our  hi^h  estimate  of  his  services  in 


366  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

that  capacity,  we  indorse  the  action  of  the  Publishing 
Committee  in  assuming  the  editorial  management  of 
the  paper  during  the  past  year,  and  we  heartily  tender 
to  the  members  of  that  committee,  and  also  to  W.  B. 
Parsons,  who  has  so  efficiently  co-operated  with  them, 
our  cordial  and  hearty  thanks  for  the  able  and  efficient 
manner  in  which  they  have  discharged  the  difficult  and 
delicate  duties  devolving  upon  them.  We  also  take 
pleasure  in  expressing  our  confidence  in  C.  A.  Klose, 
and  our  high  appreciation  of  the  services  he  has  ren- 
dered to  Southern  Methodism  on  this  coast  in  publish- 
ing the  Spectato?'" 

Dr.  Fitzgerald  was  at  the  time  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  and  during  the  year  some  misun- 
derstanding had  arisen  between  him  and  the  publisher 
with  reference  to  certain  modes  of  obtaining  advertise- 
ments for  the  paper  that  became  a  matter  of  conscience 
with  Dr.  Fitzgerald,  and  for  much  of  the  year  the  Pub- 
lishing Committee  had  had  entire  control  of  it.  At 
this  Conference  an  Editorial  Committee,  consisting  of 
W.  R.  Gober,  W.  F.  Compton,  and  G.  Sim,  was  ap- 
pointed, with  Wick.  B.  Parsons,  a  layman,  as  managing 
editor.  This  arrangement  lasted  for  one  year,  when 
Wick.  B.  Parsons  offered  to  take  the  entire  control  of 
the  paper,  and  publish  it  for  the  Conference,  and  C.  A. 
Klose  was  instructed  to  turn  over  to  Brother  Parsons 
all  the  property  of  the  office.  Its  name  was  changed 
back  to  Pacific  Methodist,  and  since  then  Wick.  B. 
Parsons  has  been  the  sole  editor. 

It  was  during  this  year  that  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Pacific  Methodist  College,  at  their  annual  meeting  in 
May,  had  brought  before  them  the  question  of  the  re- 
moval of  the  collesre. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  367 

Vacaville  had  been  selected  mainly  because  buildings 
were  already  on  the  ground.  It  was  regarded  as  a 
healthy  location,  and  we  could  commence  operations  at 
once.  But  after  a  ten  years'  experience,  we  began  to 
discover  our  mistake.  While  we  had  enjoyed  a  meas- 
ure of  prosperity,  we  felt  that  we  had  come  far  short 
of  what  ought  to  be  our  growth  and  standing,  after  all 
the  labor  and  means  expended  there.  Some  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  little  community  were  opposed 
to  us,  and  were  throwing  their  weight  of  influence 
against  us.  We  felt  that  there  were  other  communities 
in  the  State  that  would  extend  to  us  much  more  of  sym- 
pathy and  patronage  than  we  were  receiving  here,  and 
the  question  was  brought  squarely  before  the  Board  at 
its  meeting.  The  matter  was  discussed  at  length,  and 
propositions  were  made  to  make  the  change,  provided 
any  other  community  would  offer  greater  inducements 
than  we  enjoyed  at  Vacaville.  At  the  same  time,  the 
opportunity  was  given  the  latter  place  to  make  propo- 
sitions to  us  to  have  the  college  remain  in  their  midst. 

The  friends  of  Vacaville,  seeing  what  they  were  about 
to  lose  by  their  own  action,  rallied,  and  asked  a  suffi- 
cient delay  to  enable  them  to  see  what  could  be  done 
for  the  college  in  their  midst.  The  counties  of  Solano 
and  Yolo  were  canvassed  by  an  active  committee;  and 
though  liberal  propositions  of  endowment  were  made, 
yet  Santa  Rosa  came  in  with  a  bid,  pledging  themselves 
to  give  ten  acres  of  ground  in  the  heart  of  their  city, 
erect  thereon  a  better  building  than  the  one  we  now  oc- 
cupied, and  add  $15,000  to  our  endowment. 

Santa  Rosa  was  located  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  valleys  in  the  State.  A  railroad  from 
San  Francisco  was  beins:  built,  and  the   climate  was  all 


368  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

that  we  could  ask.  Under  these  circumstances  it  was 
decided  to  move,  and  accordingly  the  order  was  given. 
The  buildings  at  Vacaville  were  disposed  of  at  a  merely 
nominal  figure,  and  all  our  interests  as  a  college  in  that 
place  were  sold  to  the  Baptist  denomination.  They 
took  hold  with  commendable  zeal,  but  after  about  the 
same  length  of  experience  as  we  had  had,  gave  it  up, 
and  moved  their  interests  elsewhere. 

Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  our  Confer- 
ence, Bishop  W.  M.  Wightman  proceeded  to  San  Ber- 
nardino, where  he  organized  the  Los  Angeles  Confer- 
ence with  the  following  members:  William  Moores,  M. 
W.  Glover,  R.  A.  Latimer,  A.  Adams,  William  Monk, 
W.  A.  Spurlock,  G.  E.  Butler,  J.  E.  Miller,  D.  M.  Rice, 
and  Alexander  Groves. 

This  organization  took  place  October  26,  1870.  Two 
of  these  original  members  have  withdrawn  from  the 
communion  of  our  Church — viz.,  W.  A.  Spurlock  and 
G.  E.  Butler.  William  Monk  returned  to  Texas  after  a 
few  years,  and  D.  M.  Rice  has  found  his  way  back  into 
the  Pacific  Conference. 

These  men  deserve  more  than  a  passing  notice.  Some 
of  them  have  passed  in  review  before  us,  having  form- 
erly been  members  of  the  Pacific  Conference.  We 
shall  avail  ourselves  of  the  sketches  written  by  the  able 
pen  of  the  Rev.  C.  B.  Riddick,  D.D.,  now  of  the  Pa- 
cific Conference,  who  wrote  them  for  the  Pacific  Meth- 
odist.    Dr.  Riddick  says: 

The  Rev.  William  Moores  was  born  in  Smith  Coun- 
ty, Middle  Tennessee,  January  26,  1808.  He  preached 
his  first  sermon  on  the  3d  of  July,  1835.  That  fall,  in 
October,  he  was  received  on  trial  as  a  traveling  preach- 
er into  the  Tennessee  Conference.     In    1838  he  trans- 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  369 

ferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference,  where  he  continued 
for  seven  years.  In  1846  he  was  transferred  to  the  Ar- 
kansas Conference,  which  at  that  time  included  the 
whole  State  of  Arkansas.  A  few  years  after  (in  1850 
or  1851),  the  Little  Rock  (formerly  called  Ouachita) 
Conference  was  formed,  and  he  remained  in  that  Con- 
ference until  the  fall  of  1869,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  California — remaining,  however,  in  the  Little  Rock 
Conference,  on  Ouachita  Circuit,  until  August,  1870, 
when  he  came  West,  and  was  present,  as  before  stated, 
at  the  organization  of  the  Los  Angeles  Conference. 
He  traveled  both  the  Los  Angeles  and  Santa  Barbara 
Districts,  and  labored  On  station  and  circuit  work  until 
1SS2,  when,  at  San  Luis  Obispo,  he  was  superannuated, 
which  relation  he  now  sustains.  Tennessee,  Alabama, 
Arkansas,  and  California!  Veteran  of  half  a  century, 
well  done!  Over  all  these  broad  lands  has  he  gone, 
preaching  the  gospel,  and  thousands  have  been  led  from 
"  sin's  destructive  way  "  under  his  ministry. 

Brother  Moores  is  a  unique  man.  His  convictions 
are  so  deep  that  those  who  do  not  understand  him  often 
construe  them  into  prejudices.  He  is  regarded  by  some 
as  an  austere,  intolerant  man,  but  I  have  never  found 
him  so.  He  has  always  been  as  gentle  as  a  woman  to 
me,  and  who  that  has  ever  visited  him  at  his  own  house, 
and  witnessed  his  genial,  child-like  spirit  in  the  midst 
of  his  family,  can  have  such  a  thought  of  him?  I  feel 
richer  to-day  for  having  known  this  holy  man  of  God, 
and  indeed,  my  wife  and  self  have  learned  to  reverence, 
with  a  feeling  akin  to  filial  devotion,  the  almost  sacred 
and  altogether  saintly  presence  of  Father  Moores.  I 
can  never  forget  the  first  time  I  saw  him — a  bronzed, 
stalwart-looking  old  gentleman,  at  home  on  a  visit  to 
24- 


370  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

his  family  from  the  far-off  Santa  Barbara  District.  I 
remember  he  found  some  objection  to  my  wife's  dress, 
but  he  did  it  in  such  a  gentle,  sweet-spirited  way,  that 
to  this  day  she  loves  him  as  a  father.  He  is  a  strong: 
preacher,  and  at  times  rises  to  heights  of  startling  and 
impassioned  speech. 

He  is  a  firm  believer  in  Christian  perfection  as  "  a 
second  blessing,'1  and  in  his  old  age,  as  he  nears  the 
"  valley  of  shadows,"  he  seems  greatly  moved  on  this 
subject.  Grand  old  man!  he  lives  holiness,  and  who  will 
quarrel  with  him  whether  it  be  a  gradual  or  instanta- 
neous work?  At  the  last  session  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Conference  I  was  compelled,  as  his  presiding  elder,  to 
approacl)  him  on  the  subject,  having  learned  that  he 
had  joined  a  "  Band  of  Holiness,"  under  the  auspices 
of  the  "  Southern  California  and  Arizona  Holiness  As- 
sociation." I  thought  I  knew  the  man  well  enough  to 
be  sure  that  he  meant  no  wrong  to  the  Church  that  had 
licensed  him  to  preach,  and  under  whose  vows  of  ordi- 
nation he  had  so  long  "  gone  in  and  out "  as  a  preacher, 
and  I  was  not  mistaken.  Who  that  was  present  at  that 
Annual  Conference  in  Los  Angeles  Citv  last  fall  can 
forget  the  occasion  when  this  venerable  man  rose  up, 
at  the  call  of  his  name  for  passage  of  character,  and 
stated  that  if  the  joining  of  a  band  of  holiness  under 
what  was  considered  another  Church  organization  had 
given  his  brethren  offense  he  was  sorry,  and  he  would 
immediately  withdraw  from  it.  At  once  the  sympa- 
thies of  the  whole  Conference,  so  far  as  I  know,  were 
with  him,  and  his  character  passed  without  a  dissenting 
voice.  There  has  always  been  an  honest  difference  of 
opinion  upon  this  subject  among  Methodists,  as  to  man- 
ner  and  mode,  but   never  as 'to  the  fact  and   possibility 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  371 

of  Christian  holiness;  and  if  a  man  clings  to  the  Church, 
that  Church  whose  great  mission  has  been  to  "  spread 
scriptural  holiness  over  all  these  lands,"  I  have  no  quar- 
rel with  him.  Would  to  God  we  were  all  baptized 
with  the  spirit  of  fire  and  entire  consecration  to  the 
great  work  to  which  he  has  called  us!  I  am  persuaded, 
as  I  grow  older,  that  temperamental  differences  furnish 
larsre  grounds  for  Christian  forbearance,  and  he  is  wisest 
and  drinks  most  deeply  of  the  spirit  of  true  religion 
who  cultivates  the  grace  of  Christian  charity.  "And 
to  godliness  add,"  says  the  apostle,  what?  Can  any 
thing  be  added  to  godliness?  Yes — "brotherly  kind- 
ness." I  close  this  brief  sketch  with  a  quotation  from 
a  letter  received  from  him  a  few  weeks  ago.  He  will 
pardon  me  for  introducing  it  here:  "I  am  now  in  my 
77th  year,  and  I  must  say,  like  Jacob  of  old,  few  and 
evil  have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been,  and 
have  not  attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years  of  the  life 
of  my  fathers  in  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage.  I  mourn 
because  I  was  not  fully  awakened  to  the  subject  of 
heart  purity,  entire  sanctification,  at  an  early  day  of  my 
ministry,  and  induced  to  seek  and  obtain  that  great  Bi- 
ble doctrine  in  my  own  experience,  then  I  should  have 
been  divinely  qualified  for  the  work  of  the  ministry.  No 
one  can  tell  how  many  more  souls  I  should  have  been  in- 
strumental in  saving,  and  how  much  bitter  heart-sorrow 
now  in  mv  old  asfc  I  should  have  been  relieved  of  in  retro- 
specting  past  life.  I  am  very  thankful  I  have  a  merciful 
High  Priest,  who  is  touched  with  the  feelings  of  our 
infirmities,  and  is  able  and  willing  to  save  all  of  them 
to  the  uttermost  who  come  to  God  by  him.  I  would  ad- 
vise you  and  all  young  preachers  to  commence  at  once 
to  seek  this  glorious  gospel  experience,  if  you  would  do 


372  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

good  in  saving  souls  and  be  ready  to  meet  the  Master 
at  his  call." 

Dr.  Riddick  says  of  M.  W.  Glover: 

Milton  White  Glover  was  born  near  Bowling  Green, 
Warren  County,  Kentucky,  January  i,  1S13.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  on  Brush  Creek  Circuit,  Benton 
County,  Mo.,  by  W.  W.  Redman,  presiding  elder,  in 
the  year  1S37;  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Osborn,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1S39.  This  faithful  wife  still  survives  him.  She 
lives  near  San  Bernardino,  with  her  noble  son  James, 
calmly  awaiting  the  summons  to  come  up  higher. 

It  was  one  of  my  chief  joys,  in  visiting  San  Bernar- 
dino, to  hold  my  quarterly  meetings  the  past  year,  to 
meet  this  dear,  good  woman  and  mother  in  Israel.  She 
was  certain  to  be  present  at  the  Saturday  morning  serv- 
ice, and  there  was  always  a  serene  joy  in  her  face  that 
to  me  was  an  inspiration.  She  belongs  to  that  illustrious 
company  of  women  "  of  whom  the  world  was  not  wor- 
thy,"" who  in  the  earlier  days  of  Methodism  shared  with 
true  Christian  cheerfulness  the  privations  and  toils  of 
their  husbands,  and  often  by  their  unflinching  fortitude 
braced  them  for  more  heroic  endurance. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Conference  for  six 
years.  He  then  located,  but  kept  up  regular  appoint- 
ments until  18^0,  when  he  came  to  California  and  re- 
mained five  years,  accumulating  a  very  valuable  prop- 
erty in  Amador  County  in  quartz-mines.  In  1S55  he 
returned  to  Missouri  for  his  family,  brinsring:  them  with 
him  to  California  the  same  year.  In  1S57  he  became 
involved,  and  surrendered  his  entire  property  to  his 
creditors.  Property  is  a  dangerous  thing  for  a  Chris- 
tian minister.  A  fortune  acquired  by  mining  often 
comes   in   a   day,   and    as   suddenly  "  takes   wings    and 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  373 

flies  away."'  The  location  of  this  good  man  was  doubt- 
less the  result  of  delicate  health,  and  yet  it  did  not  seem 
best  in  the  eye  of  Divine  Providence  that  he  should 
accumulate  earthly  treasure.  Who  would  have  used 
it  to  better  purpose,  so  far  as  all  who  knew  him  could 
see?  and  yet  it  was  denied  him.  He  was  distinguished 
for  his  liberality,  and  yet  God  did  not  intrust  him  with 
wealth.  It  might  have  corroded  his  pure  spirit  and 
secularized  him  for  life.  Life  at  its  best  is  a  tangled 
web,  but  we  may  be  sure  that  God  has  a  plan  for  us — 
a  plan  which  dominates  all  our  fugitive  impulses,  our 
changeful  purposes,  and  unconnected  deeds.  Event 
meets  and  answers  event,  wrong  steps  are  retrod,  bro- 
ken threads  are  taken  up  and  worked  in,  triumphs  of 
faith  are  set  over  against  failures  in  faith;  and  in  and 
through  all  this  strange  and  mingled  discipline  we  see 
the  grace  of  God  at  work  to  prepare  us  for  the  most 
honorable  service  and  the  highest  blessedness. 

Allow  me  to  sav  in  this  connection  that  it  is  a  danger-- 
ous  thing  for  a  traveling  preacher  to  locate.  Do  not  lo- 
cate, my  brother,,  if  you  have  any  reasonable  evidence 
of  God's  blessing  upon  your  past  labors.  Even  if  your 
health  fails,  and  you  cannot  stand  the  thickest  of  the 
fight,  do  not  ask  that  your  name  be  stricken  from  "  the 
roll,"  but  go  back  to  the  rear  for  awhile  and  join  the 
"  ambulance  corps."  The  Conference  needs  your  pres- 
ence and  counsel,  and  while  you  are  comparatively  rest- 
ing and  recruiting  your  health,  you  may,  by  visiting  the 
sick,  cheering  the  afflicted,  promptly  attending  all  the 
means  of  grace  where  you  live,  and  occasionally  preach- 
ing the  gospel  of  resignation  and  obedience,  win  your 
neighbors  to  Christ,  and  in  God's  good  time  your  health 
may  be  regained  and  your  way  opened  for  active  use- 


374 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


fulness  again  in  the  regular  work.  I  am  quite  sure  that 
if  statisties  could  be  prepared  on  this  subject,  the  result 
would  show  that  location  "  at  his  own  request ""  in  four- 
fifths  of  the  cases  has  proved  disastrous. 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  ac- 
cepted the  situation,  and  like  an  honest  man  surrendered 
all  he  had.  and  with  renewed  consecration  gave  himself 
for  life  to  the  one  work  of  an  itinerant  preacher.  In 
iS^S  he  joined  the  Pacific  Conference,  and  was  sent  to 
the  Santa  Rosa  Circuit.  He  remained  in  this  Confer- 
ence until  the  organization  of  the  Los  Angeles,  in  1870. 
His  last  appointment  and  his  first  in  the  Los  Angeles 
Conference  was  San  Bernardino  Station.  The  next 
year  he  was  sent  to  Los  Angeles  City,  and  then  was 
re-appointed  to  San  Bernardino,  making  the  third  year 
at  that  place.  During  this  year  he  built  the  church  (or 
rather  rebuilt  it)  in  which  our  people  there  now  wor- 
ship. 

His  next  appointment  was  San  Luis  Obispo,  where 
he  built  another  church,  now  called  Glover's  Chapel. 
He  was  emphatically  a  church-builder.  It  was  no  easy 
matter  in  that  day  to  build  a  church  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. There  was  no  Church-extension  then,  and  the 
Mission  Board  was  embarrassed — the  membership  was 
small  and  poor,  for  the  most  part — and  if  the  preacher 
did  not  know  the  use  of  tools,  and  have  the  will  to 
work,  church-building  was  out  of  the  question.  If  he 
were  living  to-day,  you  could  track  his  ministry  by  the 
churches  built. 

In  Sa*n  Luis  Obispo  his  health  began  to  decline,  and 
yet  in  weariness  he  toiled  on,  preaching,  visiting,  and 
doing  with  his  own  hands  much  of  the  work  upon  that 
house.     The  next  year,  1S73,  he  was  sent  to  San  Ber- 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  375 

nardino  Circuit  as  a  sort  of  mission-work,  on  which  his 
health  utterly  broke  down.  There  was  no  provision  made 
for  his  support  during  the  year,  but  that  generous,  large- 
hearted  man,  Dr.  Barton,  and  his  excellent  wife,  invited 
Brother  and  Sister  Glover  to  their  hospitable  home,  and 
kindly  cared  for  them  until  the  next  Conference.  A 
thousand  blessings  upon  them  for  such  tender  and  con- 
siderate attention  to  two  of  God's  aged  servants!  Dr. 
Barton  is  a  Baptist,  and  yet  for  a  whole  year  he  gives  a 
home  in  his  own  house  to  a  Methodist  preacher  and  his 
wife.  This  very  day  I  was  reading  an  account  in  the 
Argonaut  of  his  wonderful  vineyard  and  orchard,  and 
as  I  read,  I  felt  my  pulse  beat  faster,  and  in  my  heart  I 
thanked  and  blessed  him  for  his  kindness  to  these  dear 
old  people. 

At  the  next  Conference  Brother  Glover  was  granted, 
at  his  own  request,  a  superannuated  relation,  and  so 
continued  until  his  death,  which  occurred  April  3,  1S77, 
while  he  was  eating  breakfast.  His  great  desire,  in  re- 
gard to  his  last  days  on  earth,  was  that  he  should  not 
linger  in  a  protracted  sickness,  and  his  request  was 
granted.  Those  who  were  about  him  in  the  evening 
of  his  life  have  told  me  that  the  nearer  the  end,  the  more 
eager  he  was  to  reach  it.  He  never  complained  of  his  lot, 
but  delighted  to  suffer  as  well  as  to  do  God's  will.  "  I  glo- 
ry in  my  infirmities,"  said  Paul,  and  blessed  be  the  Lord, 
thousands  of  his  suffering  people  have  realized  a  like 
experience — to  die  daily,  and  yet  to  live;  to  submit,  and 
yet  to  conquer.  How  often  it  occurs  that  the  most  em- 
inent saints  pass  away  without  a  word  of  dying  testi- 
mony! The  best  testimony  is  that  of  the  life.  What 
need  had  those  who  were  nearest  this  holy  man  to  have 
a   dying   message?     His   daily    walk    and   conversation 


376  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

gave  the  most  conclusive  evidence  of  what  his  humble 
soul  contained.  I  shall  never  forget  his  venerable  and 
feeble  form,  as  I  saw  him  at  Los  Nietos,  in  1876.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  presence,  and  there  was  a  serious- 
ness of  practical  purpose  in  his  very  carriage.  He  was 
an  experimental  Christian,  and  consequently  a  practical 
and  pointed  preacher.  We  want  more  of  such  preach- 
ing— that  which  bears  the  impress  of  individual  expe- 
rience— a  living  gospel  that  has  been  felt  by  the  man 
who  proclaims  it. 

No  tribute  is  worth  more  than  the  words  which,  like 
the  offering  of  a  simple  white  flower,  were  uttered  by 
an  old  friend  to  the  memory  of  Father  Glover:  "He 
was  first  a  true  Christian,  then  a  true  minister.  His 
mantle  has  fallen  upon  a  worthy  son,  who,  like  his 
ascended  father,  is  a  pillar  in  the  Church  of  God,  and 
loved  by  all  who  know  him.  We  have  no  more  de- 
voted and  useful  layman  in  the  Los  Angeles  Confer- 
ence than  James  B.  Glover,  who  is  liberal  to  the  farthest 
extent  of  his  ability,  and  adds  to  his  many  noble  quali- 
ties the  highest  of  all — a  tender  care  for  his  saintly 
mother  in  her  declining1  years." 

Of  R.  A.  Latimer  Dr.  Riddick  says: 

R.  A.  Latimer  is  our  stand-by  at  Santa  Ana.  To 
him  more  than  to  any  other  man  are  we  indebted  for 
the  neat  and  comfortable  house  in  which  our  people 
worship  there.  His  wise  and  brotherly  counsels  were 
of  great  service  to  me  when  on  the  district.  In  former 
years  he  was  one  of  our  most  useful  and  laborious  work- 
men,  and  wherever  he  went  as  preacher  in  charge  signs 
of  growth  and  improvement  were  sure  to  follow.  He 
and  his  most  excellent  wife  have  a  beautiful  home  at 
Santa  Ana,   and  the  neatness  with   which   that  house 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


377 


and  premises  are  kept  is  a  study  and  example  to  every 
visitor.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Finley,  so  long  an  esteemed  Pres- 
ident of  Pacific  Methodist  College,  married  their  only 
daughter,  who,  I  am  told,  partakes  largely  of  the  ster- 
ling qualities  of  the  parents. 

Dr.  Riddick  says  of  Abram  Adams: 

Among  the  most  prominent  of  its  members,  and  the 
only  one  of  its  original  number  now  on  the  effective 
list,  is  the  Rev.  Abram  Adams.  John  W.  Allen  is  still 
effective,  but  he  wras  not  then  in  full  connection,  but  on 
trial,  as  we  Methodists  phrase  it.  Brother  Adams  came 
to  California  on  account  of  delicate  health,  and  though 
never  robust,  he  has  regularly  received  an  appointment, 
and  been  a  laborious  itinerant  from  the  day  of  his  trans- 
fer to  the  Pacific  Conference,  in  1869.  He  displayed 
good  judgment,  I  think,  in  buying  a  valuable  home  at 
the  outset,  and  placing  his  family  upon  it.  He  is  capable 
of  filling  acceptably  any  pulpit  in  the  Connection,  and 
yet  he  has  been  content,  since  he  came  West,  to  travel 
hard  circuits,  with  meager  support  in  almost  every  case, 
discharging  the  duties  of  his  high  vocation  without 
murmuring  or  hesitancy.  "  None  of  these  things  move 
me,"  has  been  the  impelling  power  of  his  ministry,  and 
wherever  he  has  gone  he  has  won,  by  his  spotless  life 
and  able  ministrations  of  the  gospel,  the  admiration  and 
esteem  of  the  people.  By  speech  and  pen  he  is  a  keen 
and  ardent  controversialist  in  the  lists  with  whatever 
seems  to  him  narrow  or  intolerant,  or  in  any  other  way 
untrue.  He  is  a  man  of  vigorous  logic,  and  possesses 
in  no  ordinary  measure  that  power  which  the  metaphy- 
sicians call  "  association  of  ideas."  Though  not  liber- 
ally educated,  he  is  a  strong  thinker,  and  deeply  versed 
in  the  theological  questions  of  the  day.     He  is  wonder- 


3/S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

fully  gifted  in  fluency  of  speech,  and  yet  never  takes  a 
superficial  view  of  any  subject.  By  diligent  study  he 
has  become  an  accomplished  and  critical  expounder  of 
the  Scriptures,  ranking  with  the  first  men  of  the  Church, 
and,  best  of  all,  behind  none  in  the  irreproachable  con- 
sistency of  his  daily  walk. 

He  was  born  in  Lowndes  County,  Alabama,  March  8, 
i  S3 1.  At  three  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Mis- 
sissippi, where  he  grew  to  manhood.  In  his  fourteenth 
year  he  was  converted  to  God,  and  joined  the  Church. 
In  April,  1856,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  the  fol- 
lowing December  received  into  the  traveling  connec- 
tion. His  first  year  was  spent  as  junior  preacher  with 
J.  E.  Newman,  now  of  Brazil.  At  the  close  of  that 
year  he  was  put  in  charge  of  Little  Zion,  at  Mobile. 
The  next  two  years  he  spent  at  Wesley  Chapel,  in  the 
same  city.  He  continued  to  receive  the  best  apjDoint- 
ments  in  his  Conference — such  as  Columbus,  Eutaw, 
and  Marion  Stations,  and  the  Tuscaloosa  District — among 
the  preachers  of  which  was  the  now  sainted  Bishop 
Wightman.  Then  followed  a  year  of  ill-health,  and  the 
following  summer  he  was  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Con- 
ference,  and  stationed  at  Los  Angeles.  Here  he  organ- 
ized a  Church  of  eleven,  which  grew  to  fourteen — a 
slow  growth  to  inexperienced  eyes,  and  yet  in  that  year 
was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  prosperous  Society  now 
in  that  city.  In  October  of  the  same  year  the  Los  An- 
geles Conference  was  organized,  and  he  was  made  Sec- 
retary for  that  and  the  three  following  sessions.  In 
1873  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence which  convened  in  Louisville  the  next  May,  and 
was  an  active  member  of  that  body  until  sickness  pros- 
trated him  in  the  midst  of  its   session.     His  appoint- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  379 

ments  in  Southern  California  have  always  been  within 
the  bounds  of  Los  Angeles  District,  and  though  he  has 
traveled  the  entire  field,  he  still  retains  his  popularity  as 
a  preacher  and  his  strong  hold  upon  the  confidence  of 
the  people.  He  is  a  most  genial  companion — at  times 
a  little  absent-minded,  sensitive  in  his  make-up,  rather 
shy  of  responsibility  unless  duty  imposes  it,  honorable 
to  the  last  iota,  and  generous  to  a  fault  in  dispensing  the 
hospitality  of  his  quiet  home  at  Savannah.  "  The  string 
of  the  latch  "  is  always  out  at  that  house.  It  has  al- 
ways been  a  wonder  to  me  how  Methodist  preachers, 
often  with  a  mere  pittance  of  salary,  entertain  so  much 
company.  It  must  be  a  great  strain  on  the  good  woman 
of  the  house,  and  I  am  afraid  there  is  sometimes  a  want 
of  considerateness  on  our  part  in  placing  these  burdens 
on  preachers'  wives.  Sister  Adams  is  one  of  the  ex- 
cellent of  earth,  and  her  worthy  and  devoted  husband 
will  agree  with  me  that,  without  her  wise  administra- 
tion of  affairs  at  home,  he  could  never  have  maintained 
his  active  and  useful  position  in  the  regular  work.  She 
is  a  model  in  all  respects — intelligent,  discreet,  practical, 
"  a  keeper  at  home,"  and,  above  all,  adorning  in  her 
daily  life  the  excellency  of  our  holy  religion.  I  thank 
her  to  this  hour  for  kindness  to  me  in  the  by-gone  years. 
I  think  they  have  eight  or  nine  children,  and  such  nice 
children!  ranging  all  the  way  from  eighteen  years  down 
to  the  babe.  May  the  mantle  of  the  father  fall  upon 
that  dear  boy,  the  eldest  son! 

To  this  sketch  the  Doctor  adds:  The  Rev.  Samuel 
Adams,  his  brother,  is  almost  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  this  Conference,  having  joined  it  the  year  after 
its  organization.  I  am  sorry  my  space  and  time  will 
not   allow    an   extended    sketch  of    him.     He  and  his 


3S0  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

brother  married  sisters,  and  were  alike  blessed  in  the 
union.  He  also  has  eight  or  nine  children,  and  charm- 
ing children  they  are!  I  never  knew  a  more  delightful 
family.  Some  people  say  Abram  is  far  superior  to 
Samuel  as  a  preacher.  I  think  they  make  the  differ- 
ence too  great  between  the  two  men.  I  never  heard 
the  latter  when  I  was  not  profited  and  instructed.  He 
is  not  impassioned  in  the  pulpit,  but  always  methodical 
and  true  to  the  text.  The  love  of  the  two  men  for  each 
other  is  simply  beautiful. 

In  writing  of  P.  O.  Clayton,  Dr.  Riddick  says: 
In  his  personal  appearance  he  always  reminded  me 
of  the  picture  I  have  seen  of  the  Apostle  Peter;  and 
there  is  some  resemblance  in  the  moral  characteristics 
of  the  two  men.  I  do  not  think  he  would  have  quailed 
before  his  accusers,  but  he  would  surely  have  drawn 
his  sword  and  cut  off  the  ear  of  Malchus.  He  has  an 
impetuous  devotion  to  any  cause  he  espouses,  and  a 
personal  directness  of  speech  that  has  always  made 
him  a  man  of  mark  among  his  brethren.  He  is  every 
inch  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  He  has  an  intense 
hatred  of  all  shams.  His  natural  abilities  are  of  the 
first  order,  and  he  is  capable  of  mastering  any  subject 
upon  which  he  bestows  his  thought.  He  reads  strong 
books,  and  but  for  a  physical  defect  in  his  utterance, 
which  he  has  earnestly  striven  to  overcome,  he  would 
be  a  most  interesting  speaker,  and  stand  in  the  front 
rank  of  expository  preachers.  One  thing  is  worthy  of 
especial  note  in  his  history  as  a  preacher — souls  have 
been  converted  to  God,  and  on  all  his  charges  are  to  be 
found  the  seals  of  his  ministry. 

He  was  licensed  to   preach  in   1846,   in  La  Fayette 
County,  Missouri,  and  was  received   on  trial  into  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  381 

St.  Louis  Conference  the  same  year.  He  continued  to 
travel  in  this  Conference  until  1852,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Pacific  Conference,  and  sent  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Jesse  Boring  to  Napa  and  Suisun  Circuit  as  junior 
preacher,  B.  H.  Russell  being  the  preacher  in  charge. 
He  was  appointed  the  following  year  by  Bishop  Soule 
to  Murphy  Camp  Circuit,  then  a  flourishing  mining- 
town  not  far  from  Sonora.  This  was  the  first  and  the 
only  time  he  ever  failed  to  obey  the  appointing  power. 
His  mother  was  old  and  feeble,  and  required  his  con- 
stant attention  at  home.  I  have  often  heard  him  refer 
to  this  fact  in  his  itinerant  life,  and  the  mental  conflict 
he  underwent  in  deciding  the  question.  Duty  to  his 
aged  mother  prevailed.  From  this  time  to  1S66  he 
filled  various  appointments,  when  he  was  appointed 
Presiding  Elder  of  Petaluma  (now  Santa  Rosa)  Dis- 
trict. The  next  year  he  was  put  in  charge  of  1?he  Ma- 
ry's (now  Colusa)  District.  He  traveled  this  district 
for  three  consecutive  years. 

In  1S73  Bishop  McTyeire  transferred  him  to  the  Los 
Angeles  Conference,  and  appointed  him  to  New  River 
Circuit.  He  traveled  every  year  until  1SS1;  from  that 
to  1SS3  he  sustained  a  supernumerary  relation.  This 
year  (1S84)  he  is  on  the  Florence  Circuit.  As  I  have 
already  said,  my  acquaintance  with  him  began  in  1S75, 
when  he  was  Presiding-  Elder  of  the  Los  Angeles  Dis- 
trict.  The  country  then  was  comparatively  new,  the 
compensation  small,  the  population  sparse,  organization 
imperfect,  and  yet  at  the  close  of  his  two  years  on  the 
district  there  was  a  manifest  improvement  in  every  de- 
partment of  the  Church.  I  doubt  if  there  have  been 
as  many  conversions  in  any  twro  years  of  the  same  dis- 
trict.    Some  people  say  Mr.  Clayton  is  slow    (I  have 


3S3  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

never  found  him  so),  that  he  gets  to  his  appointments 
behind  time,  and  that  but  for  this  he  would  be  a  model 
preacher.  Good  old  Brother  McGaw,  who  is  one  of 
his  devoted  friends,  remarked  to  me  once,  "  Well,  if  he 
is  slow,  he  is  sure.  He  always  gets  there,  and  we  can't 
say  this  of  every  preacher;  and  when  he  does  get  there 
he  always  does  you  good."  Mrs.  Clayton — who  is  a  gen- 
uine itinerant,  full  of  energy,  and  jealous  of  her  hus- 
band's good  reputation — had  heard  this  complaint  of 
slowness,  and  she  was  determined  it  should  not  be  so 
when  the  time  came  for  the  next  quarterly-meeting. 
So  on  Saturday  morning  she  moved  the  clock  up  thirty 
minutes.  She  knew  her  husband  had  been  unjustly 
charged,  that  he  always  made  it  a  point  to  be  on  time, 
and  if  the  clock  said  eleven,  nothing  could  keep  him 
back.  It  was  precisely  so,  and  that  morning  he  could 
not  even  wait  for  his  wife,  but  hurried  to  the  church, 
which  was  only  a  few  steps  from  his  home,  and  had  the 
lonely  pleasure  of  spending  a  full  half  hour  in  prayerful 
waiting  for  his  congregation.  I  had  occasion  to  pass 
the  church-door  about  this  time,  and  can  recall  now 
most  vividly  the  anxious  look  that  was  on  that  presid- 
ing elder's  face.  He  never  went  by  that  clock  any 
more.  His  wife  insists  that  he  has  never  since  been 
behind  time. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  who  came  to  this  coast,  and 
is  rapidly  becoming  one  of  the  few  who  remain  of  that 
heroic  band  that  planted  our  Church  in  California. 
Men  like  P.  O.  Clayton  fill  the  world  with  the  light  of 
a  great  hope.  What  elements  of  power  they  wield! 
Vy'hat  reverence  they  win!  what  sanctity  they  diffuse! 
Their  very  presence  is  a  grace,  and  to  have  known  such 
men  is  itself  a  religion. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  383 

Dr.  Riddick  says  of  J.  E.  Miller: 

Bear  Valley,  where  we  did  have  a  beautiful  church 
built  by  the  indefatigable  labors  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Sher- 
rard,  is  about  forty  miles  from  the  sea  -coast.  The  re- 
cent storms  did  much  damage  to  the  house,  but  Brother 
Sherrard  is  already  at  work,  and  soon  the  necessary  re- 
pairs wTill  be  completed.  This  valley  is  a  large  plateau 
at  an  elevation  of  several  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  nestling  among  the  mountains  that  rise  on 
every  side,  and  destined  to  be  a  populous  and  thriving 
settlement.  If  the  people  living  there  possessed  the 
means  and  the  enterprise,  this  would  soon  become  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  sections  of  Southern  California. 
Here  lives  the  Rev.  Joseph  E.  Miller,  the  venerable  pi- 
oneer, who  preached  the  gospel  under  the  auspices  of 
our  Church  in  that  country  before  even  the  Los  An- 
geles Conference  had  been  organized.  Some  years  ago 
he  left  Los  Angeles  County  to  seek  a  climate  more  con- 
genial to  his  declining  health,  and  that  climate  he  found 
in  the  mountain-home  where  he  now  resides.  He  was 
then  the  only  Southern  Methodist  preacher  in  San  Di- 
ego County.  Everybody  that  knows  him  loves  Father 
Miller,  and  a  brief  sketch  of  his  life  will  be  read  with 
interest  by  hundreds  in  California. 

He  was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  1^,  1S11,  of  Chris- 
tian parents,  who  moved  to  the  wilds  of  Arkansas  when 
he  wras  but  a  boy.  There  was  no  preaching  in  that  part 
of  Arkansas  for  several  years  after  their  arrival,  but  his 
religious  training  was  in  no  wise  neglected  by  his  godly 
father  and  mother.  At  home  he  was  taught  the  impor- 
tance of  dedicating:  himself  in  early  life  to  the  service 
of  God,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  joined  the  Methodist 
Church  as  a   seeker  of    religion.     He   thus   continued 


3S4  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

until  his  marriage,  which  took  place  when  he  was  about 
twenty-one  years  old,  and  then  he  gave  himself  more 
fully  to  God,  and  received  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  in 
answer  to  long  and  earnest  prayer.  Immediately  he 
erected  the  family  altar,  which  has  been  kept  up  to  this 
hour,  after  the  example  of  his  sainted  parents. 

He  was  licensed  to  exhort  in  1834,  and  to  preach  in 
1837.  In  1838  he  was  ordained  deacon,  in  1840  elder. 
He  traveled  fifteen  years  in  connection  with  the  Meth- 
odist Protestant  Church  in  South-western  Missouri  and 
North-western  Arkansas,  during  which  time  he  was 
twice  elected  President  of  the  Annual  Conference.  In 
1S54,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia, and  as  a  local  preacher  proclaimed  the  gospel  in 
destitute  neighborhoods  as  opportunity  offered.  He  so 
continued  until  1866,  when  he  was  admitted  into  the 
Pacific  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  and  appointed  to  Snelling  Circuit.  His  next  ap- 
pointment was  the  Los  Angeles  District,  embracing 
three  counties,  and  he  was  the  only  Southern  Method- 
ist preacher  then  in  that  vast  territory.  To  him  we  are 
largely  indebted  for  the  planting  of  our  Church  in 
Southern  California.  His  next  appointment  was  the 
Santa  Barbara  District — then  the  Santa  Clara,  Los  Ni- 
etos,  and  Santa  Ana  Circuits.  The  last  he  traveled 
three  consecutive  years,  until,  at  his  own  request,  on  ac- 
count of  extreme  feebleness,  he  was  granted  a  super- 
annuated relation.  He  was  present  at  the  organization  of 
the  Los  Angeles  Conference  in  1870,  from  which  time 
he  has  always  been  one  of  its  leading  and  most  hon- 
ored members.  During  the  last  four  years  of  his  active 
itinerant  life  there  were  added  to  the  Church  on  the 
circuits  he  traveled   about  four  hundred  names!     What 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  3S5 

a  record  for  California!  What  a  splendid  commentary 
on  the  power  of  the  gospel  to  save  even  where  the  con- 
ditions seem  so  unfavorable!  What  a  pleasing  close  to 
a  long  life  of  active  and  laborious  service!  But  his  suc- 
cessful ministry  did  not  cease  when  he  became  a  super- 
annuated preacher.  For  more  than  three  years  he  has 
resided  in  San  Diego  County,  and  there  his  labors  have 
been  crowned  with  the  happiest  results.  When  he 
settled  in  Bear  Valley  our  Church  was  comparatively 
unknown  there — the  field  had  been  abandoned;  but 
immediately  he  began  to  preach,  souls  were  converted, 
and  the  nucleus  formed  for  what  is  now  called  Bear 
Valley  Circuit. 

Brother  Miller  did  not  enjoy  the  advantages  of  an 
early  education — not  even  the  instruction  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school. He  is  one  of  the  many  remarkable  proofs 
of  the  efficiency  of  the  itinerancy  as  a  training-school 
for  the  pulpit.  He  wrould  be  regarded  in  any  Confer- 
ence as  a  theologian  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and 
a  most  acceptable  preacher.  His  language  is  chaste  and 
well  chosen,  his  style  concise  and  perspicuous,  his  ar- 
gument well  conceived,  his  exposition  spiritual  and  true 
to  the  text,  his  manner  pleasing,  and  his  application  of 
the  subject  in  hand  always  good,  and  at  times  truly 
eloquent.  I  shall  never  forget  the  prayer  of  dedica- 
tion offered  by  him  at  the  opening  of  Sherrard  Chapel. 
It  was  a  glad  day  to  him  to  see  a  beautiful  house  of 
worship  completed  and  paid  for  in  the  neighborhood 
where,  two  years  before,  there  was  no  preaching-place, 
not  even  a  school-house.  He  had  been  a  true  co-laborer 
with  the  tireless  pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Sherrard,  in 
bringing  about  this  happy  consummation,  and  it  did 
seem  as  if  he  had   immediate  audience  with  God  as  he 

-5 


3S6  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

poured  out  from  a  full  heart  devout  thanksgiving,  and 
besought  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High  upon  all  the 
services  of  that  house.  No  Israelite,  as  he  beheld  the 
flashing  splendor  of  the  ancient  temple,  ever  felt  a 
deeper  joy  than  did  this  aged  man  of  God  when  he 
knelt  on  that  beautiful  Sabbath  morning  to  present 
unto  the  Lord  a  house  set  apart  exclusively  to  his  wor- 
ship. 

There  have  been  two  camp-meetings  held  by  Brother 
Sherrard  in  the  neighborhood — one  in  18S2,  and  the 
other  in  1S83 — at  each  of  which  Brother  Miller  preached 
with  the  fervor  and  power  of  his  earlier  years.  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  attending  the  second,  held  on  the  farm 
of  the  pastor,  beneath  wide-spreading  oaks  perhaps  a 
century  old,  and  beside  the  two  finest  springs  in  all  that 
country.  The  prayers  of  David  Huckaby,  the  son-in- 
law  of  Brother  Miller,  still  linger  in  my  memory,  and 
the  voice  of  Sister  Miller  I  still  hear  shouting  the 
praises  of  God  as  she  beheld  her  children  and  grand- 
children turning  to  the  Lord;  and  the  venerable  form 
of  Brother  Miller  I  still  see,  as  in  his  quiet  way  he 
looked  on  with  a  face  serene  and  radiant  with  a  light 
such  as  never  shone  on  sea  or  shore.  I  thank  God  that 
I  have  never  gotten  so  far  as  not  to  be  moved  with  an 
intense  delight  when  I  behold  scenes  like  these. 

These  dear  old  people — the  veteran  preacher  and  his 
wife — are  quietly  and  happily  spending  the  evening  of 
life  on  a  beautiful  little  ranch,  which  they  took  up  as 
Government  land  about  three  years  ago,  and  by  their 
industry  have  converted  into  a  comfortable  home.  I 
wish  I  had  a  drink  of  that  delicious  water  from  their 
well  this  moment,  and  could  spend  another  night  be- 
neath  their   hospitable  roof,  talking  over  the   by-gone 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  3S7 

years  and  antedating  the  blessed  rest  that  remains  for  us 
in  our  Father's  house  in  heaven.  — 

Of  A.  Groves  we  have  written  elsewhere.  Dr.  Rid- 
dick  says  of  him:  "Alexander  Groves,  now  a  local 
preacher  in  Arizona,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  in 
this  section.  He  was  an  eccentric  man,  but  greatly  be- 
loved by  his  brethren.  The  history  of  his  life  in  Ari- 
zona would  make  a  most  romantic  book." 

Great  changes  have  taken  place  in  this  Conference 
since  its  organization.  It  has  grown  steadily  in  num- 
bers and  influence.  The  number  of  preachers  in  the 
Conference  is  now  23,  with  a  membership  in  the  Church 
of  1,185.  There  are  19  churches  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Conference,  valued  at  $70,950.  They  have  12  parson- 
ages, with  an  estimated  value  of  $10,830. 


3SS  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

5JJHE  twenty-first  session  was  held  in  San  Jose,  Oc- 
tober 4,  187 1,  Bishop  J.  C.  Keener  presiding. 
Bishop  Keener  had  been  on  the  coast  but  two 
months,  and  yet  when  he  met  us  in  this  Conference  he 
seemed  to  know  as  much  of  the  preachers  and  of  their 
work  as  if  he  had  been  with  us  for  a  year.  His  per- 
ceptions were  keen,  and  he  looked  and  inquired  into 
every  thing,  and  seemed  to  forget  nothing.  His  plans 
and  suggestions  were  all  comprehensive  and  far-reach- 
ing. While  in  the  bounds  of  the  Los  Angeles  Conference 
he  secured  some  of  the  most  eligible  lots  in  the  city  of 
San  Diego,  foreseeing  that  that  was  to  be  an  important 
place  in  the  near  future. 

Only  two  were  received  on  trial  into  the  Conference 
at  this  session — R.  F.  Allen  and  Alfred  E.  Layson. 

R.  F.  Allen  is  still  with  us.  From  a  timid,  bashful 
youth  he  has  steadily  advanced  in  ministerial  worth, 
until  he  now  ranks  among  our  most  useful  members. 
Looking  carefully  after  his  own  personal  piety,  and  then 
guarding  the  Church  with  a  jealous  care,  he  inspires  all 
with  confidence  in  himself  and  his  work.  Being  relig- 
iously opposed  to  all  clap-trap  performances,  such  as  am- 
ateur theaters,  festivals,  etc.,  with  which  to  raise  money 
for  the  Church,  he  throws  its  claims  squarely  upon  its 
merits  as  a  religious  institution,  and  rarely  if  ever  fails. 
No  man  that  we  have  ever  had  in  our  ranks  stands 
more  firmly  upon  the  grand  platform  of  the   Methodist 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  3S9 

Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  its  non-interference  with 
all  political  questions  than  he.  While  exceedingly  smooth 
and  affable  in  his  manners,  yet  he  is  uncompromising; 
and  when  principle  is  involved,  he  has  the  courage  to 
stand  alone,  if  need  be. 

A.  E.  Lay  son  was  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
having  recently  received  a  bountiful  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  entered  the  work  with  every  prospect  of 
usefulness,  but  fell  during  the  year,  dying  with  the  glo- 
ry of  God  shining  all  around  him. 

Dabney  Ball  had  been  transferred  from  the  Baltimore 
to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference,  and  on  his  way  to  his 
new  field  of  labor  met  with  us  at  this  Conference,  and 
after  reviewing  the  work  carefully,  Bishop  Keener 
stopped  him  with  us  and  appointed  him  to  San  Fran- 
cisco Station.  He  was  a  man  of  great  worth,  a  fine 
preacher,  full  of  courage  and  endurance.  He  was  in 
rather  feeble  health,  and  remained  on  the  coast  but  a 
short  time. 

A.  F.  Trousdale,  a  man  well  along  in  years,  was  re- 
ceived at  this  Conference  as  a  licentiate  from  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church.  He  remained  in  our 
communion  but  a  few  years,  when  he  returned  to  his 
mother  Church. 

This  year  we  lost  by  death  a  useful  member — G.  W. 
Wood. 

Bishop  Keener  introduced  a  new  feature  in  connec- 
tion with  the  memorial  service  of  deceased  brethren. 
Heretofore  some  member  of  the  Conference  was  ap- 
pointed to  preach  a  stated  sermon  in  memory  of  the 
dead.  But  when  the  Committee  on  Memoirs  were  ready 
to  read  their  report,  the  Bishop  rose  in  his  place,  and 
selecting  the  hymn — 


39° 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Servant  of  God,  well  done; 
Rest  from  thy  loved  employ — 


announced  it,  asking  all  the  Conference  to  unite  in  sing- 
ing it.  When  this  service  of  song  had  mellowed  and 
melted  all  hearts,  amid  the  hush  of  deep  emotion  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  read  his  report.  Short 
speeches  were  made  by  a  number  of  the  brethren,  and 
then  all  kneeled  in  prayer. 

T.  K.  Howell,  the  principal  and  agent  of  the  Visalia 
Seminary,  in  presenting  his  report,  represented  the  in- 
stitution as  involved  in  debt,  and '  the  creditors  on  the 
eve  of  a  foreclosure  of  mortgage.  At  this  juncture  ten 
brethren — viz.,  S.  Brown,  W.  F.  Compton,  T.  C.  Bar- 
ton, T.  H.  B.  Anderson,  L.  C.  Renfro,  L.  D.  Hargis,  J. 
W.  Leach,  T.  K.  Howell,  Jesse  Wood,  and  T.  D.  Clan- 
ton — came  forward  and  paid  off  the  mortgage,  and  took 
possession  of  the  property  in  their  own  names.  But 
notwithstanding  the  help  afforded  by  these  brethren, 
the  Church  was  never  able  to  redeem  the  property,  and 
it  was  finally  lost  to  us. 

The  public-school  system  in  California  is  so  complete, 
and  the  resources  of  the  school  department  of  our  State 
government  are  so  great,  that  it  is  a  very  difficult  matter 
to  sustain  a  denominational  school.  It  is  hard  to  per- 
suade men  to  pay  for  that  which  they  can  get  free  of 
cost.  And  it  will  take  the  experience  of  a  generation 
to  wake  the  Church  to  the  importance  of  Church 
schools.  Education  is  lauded  to  the  skies;  it  is  looked 
upon  as  the  foundation-stone  of  our  Government.  But 
the  time  is  coming,  and  now  is  in  some  places,  when  it 
will  be  seen  that  education  in  the  possession  of  a  man 
devoid  of  moral  principle  is  a  two-edged  sword  in  the 
hands  of  a  madman.     Education  only  empowers  a  vil- 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  391 

lain  to  be  more  successful  in  his  villainy.  The  Church 
can  never  afford  to  relegate  the  education  of  her  chil- 
dren to  the  State.  There  is  scarcely  any  direction  in 
which  money  can  be  spent  to  more  advantage,  and  that 
will  be  more  far-reaching  in  its  influence  for  good  and 
the  glory  of  God,  than  in  building  up  and  sustaining 
denominational  religious  institutions  of  learning. 


392  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

fHE  twenty-second  session  was  held  in  Santa  Rosa, 
October  2,  1872,  Bishop  H.  N.  McTyeire  presid- 
ing. The  hospitable  people  of  Santa  Rosa  are 
always  glad  to  entertain  a  Conference  of  our  Church. 
The  college,  located  in  their  midst,  has  drawn  around  it 
many  of  our  most  devoted  friends  from  all  parts  of  the 
State,  who  have  gone  there  to  educate  their  children  in 
our  own  school.  Besides,  this  has  for  many  years  been 
a  strong  point  for  our  Church. 

Bishop  McTyeire  had  been  for  some  months  on  the 
coast,  and  had  drawn  around  him  the  affections  of 
preachers  and  people. 

This  year  there  was  not  a  single  applicant  for  admis- 
sion on  trial  into  the  Conference.  Several  names  were 
added  to  our  roll,  however,  by  transfer.  E.  E.  Hoss, 
'from  the  Holston  Conference,  had  come  to  us  in  the 
midst  of  the  year  to  take  charge  of  the  Church  in  San 
Francisco,  D.  Ball's  health  having  failed. 

W.  H.  Mason  came  to  us  from  the  Baltimore,  T.  L. 
Moody  from  the  Tennessee,  John  Anderson  from  the 
Missouri,  and  W.  A.  Finley,  D.D.,  from  the  Columbia 
Conference. 

E.  E.  Hoss  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  young  men 
we  had  in  our  Conference;  besides,  he  had  a  good  ex- 
perience of  conversion.  He  was  thoroughly  conse- 
crated to  God  and  his  Church.  But  San  Francisco  had 
tried    the   metal    of  older   soldiers    than   he.     We  were 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  393 

struggling  against  strong  prejudices  in  that  city,  and, 
above  all,  we  were  laboring  to  build  in  a  part  of  the 
city  in  which  the  best  mind  and  heart  of  the  Church 
could  never  have  succeeded.  After  three  years  of  hard 
labor  he  was  called  to  a  professorship  in  Pacific  Meth- 
odist College.  After  teaching  for  a  time  he  returned  to 
the  East,  where  he  has  steadily  risen — first,  from  a  pro- 
fessorship to  the  presidency  of  one  of  our  leading  col- 
leges, and  then  to  a  chair  in  Vanderbilt  University.  In 
his  prosperity  and  success  none  rejoice  more  than  his 
co-laborers  in  California. 

W.  H.  Mason  was  an  architect  as  well  as  preacher, 
and  when  pastor  of  the  Church  in  Stockton  he  drew 
the  plan  and  superintended  the  erection  of  our  beautiful 
house  of  worship  in  that  city.  Dr.  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  had 
raised  a  large  subscription  for  a  church,  and  Brother 
Mason  completed  the  work  of  building  the  house.  It 
became  deeply  involved,  and  would  have  been  finally 
lost  to  us  had  not  the  Mission  Board  come  to  our  rescue. 

Brother  Mason  was  never  robust,  and  finding:  his 
health  giving  way,  returned  to  his  native  Conference, 
and  in  a  few  years  ceased  to  labor  and  live. 

John  Anderson  was  a  vigorous,  energetic  young  man, 
with  a  mighty  voice.  He  was  quite  successful  at  sev- 
eral, points,  but  in  1875  ne  returned  to  Missouri,  where 
he  is  doing  good  work. 

T.  L.  Moody  was  a  good  preacher,  a  man  of  fine  ad- 
dress and  appearance,  but  the  work  in  California  was 
so  different  from  the  home  work  that  he  pined  to  re- 
turn, and  did  so  in  a  short  time,  to  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference, where  he  is  much  loved  and  honored  as  an  able 
and  consecrated  minister  of  the  gospel. 

W.  A.  Finlev  had  first  been  a  member  of  our  Confer- 


394 


History  Of  Southern  Methodism 


ence,  and  after  a  connection  of  a  number  of  years  with 
the  Columbia  Conference,  as  President  of  Corvallis 
College,  he  returned  to  us. 

The  visit  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Sargent,  of  the  Balti- 
more Conference,  greatly  enhanced  the  pleasures  of 
this  session.  He  captured  us  at  once.  He  was  like  a 
St.  John  among  the  disciples.  His  familiarity  with  the 
Scriptures,  and  with  the  hymns  of  our  Church,  was  to 
us  a  marvel  and  a  joy.  He  seemed  able  to  give  expres- 
sion to  almost  any  thought,  either  in  Scripture  or  in 
verse.     His  very  appearance  was  an  inspiration. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Pacific  Conference  W. 
R.  Gober  had  been  with  us,  and  was  recognized  as  a 
leader.  He  had  three  times  been  called  to  preside  over 
the  deliberations  of  the  Conference  in  the  absence  of  a 
Bishop;  had  been  again  and  again  elected  to  the  Gen- 
eral Conference;  had  filled  the  most  responsible  posi- 
tions, and  served  our  best  charges;  but  for  reasons  best 
known  to  himself  he  this  year  severed  his  connection 
with  us.  And  here  we  would  let  the  curtain  fall,  did 
not  a  sense  of  responsibility  as  a  faithful  historian  com- 
pel us  to  give  the  last  act  in  the  scene  of  his  connection 
with  us.  This  year  he  had  been  stationed  in  the  city 
of  Sacramento.  In  September,  some  two  or  three 
weeks  before  the  session  of  the  Pacific  Conference,*the 
California  Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church  met  in  the 
city  of  San  Jose.  The  Saturday  of  its  session  he  made 
an  announcement  in  the  Sacramento  Union,  a  daily 
morning  paper,  that  he  would  preach  his  farewell  ser- 
mon in  our  church  on  Sunday  morning,  and  in  the  even- 
insr  he  would  deliver  an  address  in  which  he  would 
show  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  but  one  Methodist 
Church   in  California.     The    trustees    of   the    church 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


395 


held  a  meeting  immediately,  and,  locking  the  door  of 
the  church,  called  on  Brother  Gober  and  informed  him 
that  he  could  not  preach  again  in  the  church.  He  then 
announced  through  the  Bee,  an  evening  paper,  that  he 
would  deliver  his  address  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  which 
he  did,  and  the  next  day  went  to  San  Jose,  and,  by  re- 
quest of  the  California  Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
delivered  the  address  there,  and  then  formally  united 
with  that  Church  and  took  an  appointment  at  their 
hands. 

When  the  Pacific  Conference  assembled  in  Santa 
Rosa  in  October,  he  repaired  to  that  place,  prepared  to 
represent  his  charge  in  Sacramento  City.  "  When  the 
name  of  W.  R.  Gober  was  called,  J.  C.  Simmons,  the 
presiding  elder  of  the  district,  gave  a  brief  history  of 
his  case,  in  connection  with  the  Church  in  Sacramento 
during  the  past  year,  and  also  stated  that  rumor  had  it  that 
he  had  united  with  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  had  taken 
an  appointment. in  the  California  Conference  of  that 
Church,  but  that  he  had  received  no  official  notification 
of  the  fact.  He  therefore  moved  that  the  matter  be  re- 
ferred to  a  committee  of  investigation  appointed  by  the 
Bishop.  E.  K.  Miller,  W.  F.  Compton,  and  George 
Sim  were  appointed  said  committee."  This  committee, 
after  a  careful  investigation,  brought  in  the  following, 
which  was  adopted: 

Your  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  case  of  W.  R.  Go- 
ber, beg  leave  to  present  the  following  report: 

i.  We  find  upon  his  own  admission  that  he  united  with  the 
California  Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church  (North)  on  the  23d 
of  September,  1872,  and  received  an  appointment  from  that  body. 

2.  We  find  farther,  that  he  has  not  given  the  necessary  notice 
to  his  presiding  elder  nor  to  this  Conference  of  his  desire  or  in- 
tention to  withdraw  from  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 


396  History  Of  Southern   Methodism 

3.  While  the  Conference  has  not  lost  its  right  to  prosecute  to 
the  fullest  extent  any  bill  of  charges  framed  against  W.  R.  Gober, 
and  based  upon  his  conduct  during  the  year,  yet  the  committee 
do  not  recommend  the  Conference  to  assert  that  right.  A  trial, 
or  any  farther  prosecution  of  the  case,  we  deem  unnecessary, 
nor  would  it  in  our  judgment  promote  the  end  of  discipline.  We 
suppose  there  is  but  one  opinion  as  to  his  course. 

4.  We  therefore  recommend  the  case  to  be  dismissed  by  order- 
ing the  name  of  W.  R.  Gober  to  be  struck  from  the  roll  of  the 
Conference.  E.  K.  Miller, 

W.  F.  Compton, 
George  Sim. 
Santa  Rosa,  Oct.  3,  1872. 

No  one  questioned  the  right  of  Brother  Gober  to 
change  his  Church  relations.  But  when  he,  without 
consultation  with,  or  permission  of,  the  official  mem- 
bers of  his  charge,  deliberately  planned  to  attack  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  question  its 
right  to  an  ecclesiastical  existence  in  California,  in  one 
of  our  own  pulpits,  all  felt  that  he  had  overstepped  the 
bounds  of  propriety,  and  that  the  least  we  could  do 
was  to  strike  his  name  from  the  roll  of  the  Conference. 
But  while  we  did  this,  it  was  not  our  purpose  to  forget 
the  many  noble  acts  he  had  done,  and  the  heroic  suf- 
fering he  had  endured  in  building  up  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  on  this  coast. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


397 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

pHE  twenty-third  session  was  held  in  Colusa,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1873,  Bishop  D.  S.  Doggett  presiding. 
This  was  the  first  time  our  Conference  was  ever 
held  in  the  town  of  Colusa,  and  right  royally  did  the 
good  people  entertain  it.  This  was  the  first  visit  of  the 
scholarly  Bishop  Doggett.  He  had  been  with  us  for 
some  weeks  before  the  session  of  the  Conference, 
preaching  at  camp-meeting,  and  in  town  and  country, 
and  everywhere  charming  the  people  with  his  elo- 
quence and  fervor.  Nowhere  in  the  land  is  good 
preaching  more  appreciated  than  in  California.  Cali- 
fornians,  as  a  rule,  take  no  man  on  his  past  record.  If 
it  be  said  he  is  a  grand  orator,  an  eloquent  speaker,  a 
magnificent  preacher  —  that  he  has  enraptured  thou- 
sands by  his  masterly  efforts — Californians,  instead  of 
taking  it  all  for  granted,  fold  their  arms,  and  throwing 
themselves  back,  look  up,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Now, 
let  us  see  you  do  it."  And  just  to  the  point  to  which 
he  rises  will  they  rate  him,  and  no  more.  And  yet  no 
people  are  more  ready  to  estimate  a  man  for  his  full 
worth  than  these  same  Californians. 

C.  C.  Snell,  recommended  from  the  Plainsburg  Cir- 
cuit, and  T.  R.  Burkett,  from  the  Woodbridge  Circuit, 
were  received  on  trial. 

C.  C.  Snell  continued  in  the  work  till  1877,  and  hav- 
ing never  been  received  into  full  connection,  was  dis- 
continued, at  his  own  request. 


39S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

T.  R.  Burkett  was  a  young  man  of  more  than  usual 
promise,  but  from  some  cause  he  discontinued  at  the 
close  of  the  first  year. 

Eli  H.  Robertson,  of  the  Kansas  Conference  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  made  application  for  admission  at  this 
Conference,  and  was  received  as  an  elder.  He  is  a 
good  man,  faithful  to  his  work,  and  in  full  sympathy 
with  us  as  a  Church. 

Richard  Pratt  was  transferred  to  us  from  the  North 
Mississippi  Conference;  J.  M.  Lovell,  from  the  Colum- 
bia Conference;  and  G.  W.  Fleming,  from  the  Texas 
Conference. 

Soon  after  the  war  some  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists 
of  England  had  their  attention  turned  to  the  South. 
They  knew  nothing  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Church, 
save  as  they  had  received  intelligence  through  North- 
ern channels.  They  sent  out  a  man  to  examine  and 
spy  out  the  land  for  himself,  and  to  report.  This  report 
was  so  favorable  that  quite  a  number  of  preachers 
came  out  and  entered  the  work  in  the  North  Missis- 
sippi Conference.  Among  them  was  R.  Pratt.  After  re- 
maining for  a  time  in  Mississippi,  he  concluded  to  come 
to  California,  and  was  regularly  transferred  to  the  Pa- 
cific Conference.  After  laboring  with  us  for  a  few 
years  he  removed  south,  and  joined  the  Los  Angeles 
Conference,  where  he  is  still  at  work. 

J.  M.  Lovell  had  formerly  been  a  member  of  the  Pa- 
cific Conference,  and,  after  laboring  for  a  few  years  in 
Oregon  as  a  member  of  the  Columbia  Conference,  he 
returned  to  California. 

G.  W.  Fleming  was  a  young  man  of  energy,  and 
some  little  experience  in  the  itinerancy.  He  continued 
to  labor  with  us  for  a  few  vears,  and  then  located      He, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  399 

as  a  local  preacher,  is  a  zealous  worker  and  an  ardent 
lover  of  the  Methodist  Church,  South. 

This  had  been  a  hard  year  on  our  paper,  the  Pacific 
Methodist,  and  it  was  reported  some  $1,400  in  debt. 
An  effort  was  made  on  the  Conference-floor,  and  the 
sum  of  $1,180  was  raised.  W.  M.  Winters  was  also 
appointed  to  act  as  agent  for  the  paper  in  raising  an  en- 
dowment of  $10,000  for  it.  He  entered  earnestly  upon 
his  work,  and  in  a  few  months  had  secured  endow- 
ment notes,  to  be  paid  in  annual  installments  for  ten 
years,  for  $8,350,  when  his  health  failed  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  to  force  him  to  desist.  This  endowment  proved 
a  great  blessing  to  the  paper  as  long  as  it  lasted. 


400  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

'HE  twenty-fourth  session  was  held  in  Stockton, 
October  7,  1874,  Bishop  G.  F.  Pierce  presiding. 
The  Rev.  J.  B.  McFerrin,  D.D.,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Mission  Board,  came  with  Bishop  Pierce.  Many 
of  us  had  never  seen  him  before,  and  his  visit  was  both 
pleasant  and  profitable.  He  was  perfectly  at  home 
with  us,  and  gave  us  much  good  counsel  and  advice. 
He  made  frequent  talks  during  the  session  of  the  Con- 
ference, and  was  always  listened  to  with  the  greatest 
reverence. 

The  preachers  received  on  trial  at  this  session  were: 
William  O.  Askins,  Timothy  S.  Paul,  John  S.Clark, 
and  Milton  McWhorter. 

W.  O.  Askins  traveled  two  years,  and  then  discon- 
tinued. Subsequently  he  joined  the  M.  E.  Church,  and 
is  laboring  with  them  still. 

T.  S.  Paul,  after  laboring  with  the  Pacific  Confer- 
ence for  a  few  years,  went  to  Oregon,  and  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  Columbia  Conference. 

J.  S.  Clark,  after  working  in  the  bounds  of  our  Con- 
ference till  1879,  transferred  to  the  Los  Angeles  Con- 
ference, where  he  still  labors. 

M.  McWhorter  remained  several  years  in  the  itiner- 
ancy, and  then  located. 

C.  C.  Chamberlin  was  transferred  to  us  from  the 
Mississippi  Conference.  He  was  born  in  Natchez, 
Mississippi,  September  23,  1839;  was  converted  while 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  401 

in  college  in  1858.  Two  years  later  he  was  licensed 
to  preach.  He  came  to  California  on  account  of  his 
health.  Although  he  was  delicate,  and  never  well,  yet 
somehow  he  was  ever  able  to  do  full  work.  He  was 
a  lovable  man.  Genial  in  his  disposition,  he  won  and 
held  the  hearts  of  his  brethren.  He  was  sent  first  to 
Sacramento;  remained  there  two  years,  when  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  a  chair  in  Pacific  Methodist  College. 
After  remaining  there  a  year  he  was  sent  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. His  success  at  this  point  was  very  marked.  He 
added  quite  a  number  to  the  Church,  and  brought  up 
the  finances  in  a  most  remarkable  manner.  He  filled 
other  important  charges  in  the  Conference.  His  preach- 
ing always  abounded  in  original  thought  and  striking 
illustrations.  He  was  ever  on  the  lookout  for  some- 
thing with  which  to  enforce  religious  thought.  He 
found  his  illustrations  wherever  he  went. 

Sometime  during  this  year  W.  J.  Mahon  was  trans- 
ferred by  Bishop  Pierce,  and  stationed  in  San  Francis- 
co. He  came  to  us  from  the  Memphis  Conference. 
He  is  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  will,  and  perfectly 
fearless  when  acting  under  what  he  esteems  to  be  duty. 
He  grasps  with  great  power  the  fundamental  doctrines 
of  Methodism,  and  stands  ready  to  defend  and  preach 
them  on  all  occasions. 

When  he  took  charge  of  the  Church  in  San  Fran- 
cisco  we  were  worshiping  in  the  little  church  on  Min- 
na Street.  During  the  year  he  found  that  the  Baptists, 
who  had  a  large  church  on  Russ  Street,  were  forced 
to  sell  their  property  at  a  sacrifice.  With  the  aid  of 
the  Mission  Board  he  purchased  that  property,  having 
disposed  of  the  Minna  Street  church  to  the  Campbell- 
ite  Christians.  But  a  new  and  large  building  did  not 
26 


402  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

bring  an  increase  in  congregations.  This  church  was 
no  improvement  in  location  on  the  former,  and  it  was 
not  until  this  portion  of  the  city  was  abandoned,  and 
the  Church  moved  to  its  present  location,  that  any  de- 
gree of  success  marked  our  labors  in  San  Francisco. 
For  a  number  of  years  Brother  Mahon  has  been  Presid- 
ing Elder — first  of  the  Visalia,  then  of  the  Santa  Rosa 
District.     On  both  these  districts  he  has  left  his  mark. 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast. 


4°3 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

^HE  twenty-fifth  session  was   again  held  in  San 
Jose,  October  13,  1875,  Bishop  H.  H.  Kavanaugh 

|M  presiding.  This  session  was  remarkable  in  view 
of  the  large  number  of  transfers  that  came  to  us,  the 
Memphis  Conference  alone  furnishing  six:  R.  H.  Ma- 
hon,  T  L.  Duke,  R.  A.  Sawrie,  H.  B.  Avery,  W.  D. 
Senter,  and  T.  A.  Atkinson.  The  South-west  Missouri 
gave  us  two  —  C.  P.  Jones  and  C.  C.  Wright;  the 
North  Georgia  one — A.  Odom;  and  the  Western  one — 
J.  C.  Hyden.  We  had  room  for  all.  We  have  never 
been  jealous  of  transfers.  In  fact,  we  have  never  had 
as  many  as  we  wanted.  The  nature  of  our  work  is 
such  that  we  have  ever  had  more  territory  inviting  our 
labors  than  we  were  able  to  occupy.  These  brethren, 
who  had  been  doing  faithful  service  in  the  Master's 
vineyard,  and  who  came  to  us  with  the  full  indorse- 
ment of  our  sister  Conferences,  were  taken  at  once  to 
our  hearts. 

Nothing  exhibits  the  unity  of  our  Church  more  than 
this  movement  of  our  preachers.  We  are  one  in  aim 
and  labor.  Every  living  stone  added  to  the  walls  of 
our  Zion  adds  to  the  glory,  security,  and  defense  of  all. 
Every  traveling  preacher  has  to  undergo  his  annual 
examination,  and  has  to  answer  to  the  question,  "Are 
all  the  preachers  blameless  in  their  life  and  official  ad- 
ministration?" The  preacher  never  gets  too  old  not  to 
undergo  this  searching  ordeal;  and  wily  must  he  indeed 


404  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

be  who  can  long  escape  detection,  if  his  heart  be  not 
right  with  the  Lord  and  the  Church.  A  man's  name 
printed  in  the  Minutes  of  an  Annual  Conference  is 
his  indorsement.  Not  only  so,  but  it  is  an  evidence 
that  he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  whole  Church. 

There  were  admitted  on  trial  at  this  session,  Perry- 
man  F.  Page,  William  P.  Andrews,  and  Tilford  A. 
Miller.     These  were  all  promising  young  men. 

R.  H.  Mahon,  the  son  of  W.  J.  Mahon,  was  a  prom- 
inent and  scholarly  man.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of 
San  Francisco — the  station  that  had  tried  so  many 
men's  souls.  For  reasons  that  were  satisfactory  to  him- 
self and  to  his  brethren  he  returned  to  his  native  Con- 
ference. 

T.  L.  Duke  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  and  has  done 
us  good  service.  He  is  a  clear,  logical  preacher.  His 
subjects  are  always  well  arranged,  and  so  presented  as 
to  leave  a  lasting  impression  upon  his  hearers. 

He  has  had  a  sad  experience  amongst  us,  having  had 
the  misfortune  to  bury  two  wives,  besides  having  sore 
affliction  in  his  family — one  of  his  children  being  hope- 
lessly ill — and  yet  he  has  done  full  work.  Taking 
whatever  charge  is  committed  to  his  hands,  he  goes 
forth,  labors  the  allotted  time,  and  comes  in  at  Con- 
ference with  his  report,  and  has  ever  received  the 
plaudit,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 

R.  A.  Sawrie  was  born  in  Maury  County,  Tennes- 
see, January  15,  1840.  His  parents  were  both  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  al- 
though his  father  died  while  he  was  quite  young,  yet 
the  golden  truths  he  taught  by  precept  and  example 
served  as  beacon  lights  to  his  boy,  and  these,  followed 
by  his  pious  mother's  prayers  and  teachings,  led  him 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  40^ 

early  to  Christ.  When  nineteen  years  old  he  felt  it  his 
duty  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  alas!  he  refused  for 
twelve  long  years.  But  at  last  he  yielded  to  the  call 
of  God,  and  gave  himself  to  the  work.  He  was  li- 
censed to  preach  in  August,  1871,  and  was  received  on 
trial  into  the  Memphis  Conference  the  same  year.  He 
filled  three  appointments  in  the  Memphis  Conference, 
and  was  then  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference, 
where  he  has  been  laboring  acceptably  and  profitably 
ever  since. 

H.  B.  Avery  was  born  in  Gibson  (now  Crockett) 
County,  Tennessee,  June  24,  1839.  His  parents  were 
both  religious,  and  proved  the  power  of  God  to  keep 
them  through  a  long  life.  His  father  was  a  local 
preacher  for  thirty-six  years.  His  mother  lived  beyond 
the  allotted  time  of  three-score  years  and  ten.  He  was 
converted  in  1858,  and  was  soon  put  to  work  as  a  class- 
leader  and  steward.  In  1S60  he  was  licensed  to  preach, 
and  joined  the  Memphis  Conference,  where  he  labored 
till  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference. 

He  was  an  earnest,  good  man,  and  a  faithful  worker. 
As  presiding  elder,  he  looked  well  to  all  parts  of  his 
district,  and  brought  up  a  good  report  at  each  Confer- 
ence. He  was  in  feeble  health  when  he  came  to  the 
coast.  Consumption  had  already  begun  its  deadly 
work.  Bravely  he  stood  up  against  it  —  traveling, 
preaching,  and  working  for  the  Saviour  when  all  his 
physical  man  cried  out  against  it.  Realizing  at  last 
that  he  was  growing  no  better,  but  rather  worse,  he 
turned  his  eye  to  Florida,  and  after  five  years  of  faith- 
ful, useful  work  in  the  Pacific  Conference,  transferred 
to  the  Florida  Conference,  where  he  ended  his  days  in 
peace  and  holy  triumph. 


406  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

A  line  of  his  personal  testimony,  given  before  he  left 
our  Conference,  will  do  more  to  photograph  the  man 
than  any  thing  we  can  say:  "1  often  think  if  I  could 
pass  through  life  again,  with  my  present  experience,  I 
could  improve  it  in  very  many  instances.  But  I  could 
not  repeat  the  journey  if  I  would,  nor  would  I  if  I 
could.  If  I  have  done  any  good  hi  the  world  I  am 
thankful  to  God.  If  I  am  saved  in  heaven  at  last 
(and  I  expect  to  be),  I  shall  be  a  sinner  saved  by 
grace." 

W.  D.  Senter  was  also  in  feeble  health  when  he 
came  to  the  Pacific  Conference.  He  had  been  a  local 
preacher  in  our  Church  for  nineteen  years.  He  grad- 
uated in  medicine  in  1865.  When  called  to  see  the  sick 
he  often  ministered  to  both  soul  and  body.  Soon  after 
joining  the  Memphis  Conference  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Pacific  Conference.  He  was  sent  first  to  the  Prince- 
ton Circuit,  where  he  labored  in  great  feebleness  of 
body,  and  at  the  ensuing  session  of  the  Conference  he 
was  granted  a  superannuated  relation,  and  that  year  he 
died  in  great  peace  at  the  residence  of  W.  O.  Rucker, 
of  Merced. 

T.  A.  Atkinson  was  born  December  2,  1849,  in  Fay- 
ette County,  Tennessee.  He  was  converted  in  1S67. 
Two  years  after  he  was  appointed  class-leader  and  su- 
perintendent of  a  Sunday-school.  In  1S71,  while  at 
college,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  the  following 
vear  he  was  received  on  trial  into  the  Memphis  Con- 
ference. During  the  year  1S74  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Pacific  Conference,  and  stationed  in  Visalia.  Since 
then  he  has  proved  himself  one  of  our  most  efficient, 
laborious  young  men.  He  has  filled  some  of  our  best 
stations,  ever  aspiring  to  usefulness. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  407 

C.  P.  Jones  was  a  man  well  advanced  in  life,  and  had 
had  experience  in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  re- 
mained with  us  for  a  few  years,  and  changed  his  Church 
relations — uniting  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  still  a  member  of  the  California  Conference  of 
that  Church. 

C.  C.  Wright  was  a  man  fond  of  books  and  reading. 
He  labored  for  a  number  of  years,  when  his  health  de- 
clined, and  he  returned  to  his  native  State,  where  he 
recovered,  in  a  measure  at  least,  his  health.  He  now 
belongs  to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference. 

A.  Odom  was  born  in  Forsythe  County,  Georgia, 
May  4,  1S41.  He  was  born  of  pious  parents.  He  says 
his  educational  advantages  were  not  good — the  com- 
mon-school system  in  his  day  not  being  nearly  perfect. 
The  first  school-house  he  attended  would  be  considered 
a  novelty  now — being  built  of  round  logs,  dirt  floor, 
door  without  a  shutter,  and  if  there  was  a  window,  it 
was  made  by  leaving  out  one  of  the  logs.  The  benches 
were  made  of  pine  slabs,  with  wooden  pins  for  legs, 
and  they  so  long  that  no  small  boy  could  expect  to 
touch  his  feet  to  the  floor  from  early  morn  to  hungry 
noon.  Thus  "scrunched  up,"  a  curved  spine  was  the 
least  evil  to  follow — as  may  be  seen  upon  him  or  any 
one  who  had  the  constitution  to  endure  and  live.  With 
such  disadvantages  as  these  he  entered  the  school-room 
in  his  fifth  year,  and  left  it  in  his  tenth  year,  being  pro- 
moted to  the  corn-field.  After  this  he  was  in  school 
two  weeks  at  one  time  and  four  weeks  at  another. 
"The  course  of  study"  consisted  of  Webster's  Speller 
and  Definer,  having  cultivated  the  art  of  penmanship 
and  unraveled  the  science  of  mathematics  at  home  dur- 
ing spare  moments  "  mornings."    The  last  four  months 


40S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

in  school  he  took  a  more  advanced  course — viz.,  Smith's 
Grammar  to  page  forty,  and  Davies's  Arithmetic,  and 
lessons  in  penmanship.  Aside  from  these,  his  farther 
attainments  are  to  be  attributed  to  personal  application, 
observation,  and  experience. 

He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
in  his  twelfth  year;  was  converted  in  his  seventeenth 
year,  and  was  licensed  to  exhort  in  his  nineteenth  year; 
was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Finley,  October  i, 
1861,  and  in  the  following  March  was  transferred  from 
the  corn-field  to  the  battle-field;  served  two  and  one- 
third  years  in  the  Confederate  army  as  a  private  soldier 
— first  under  General  Bragg;  then  under  General  Pem- 
berton,  at  Vicksburg;  then  under  General  Joseph  E. 
Johnston,  in  Georgia.  His  license  having  expired 
while  in  the  war,  he  was  licensed  again  to  exhort  in 
1865;  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1S67.  In  1S79  he  la- 
bored as  a  supply  on  the  Stilesboro  Mission,  under  W. 
P.  Harrison,  presiding  elder.  This  mission  embraced 
four  counties,  making  a  circuit  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  miles,  which  he  traveled,'  not  as  a  circuit- 
1'ider,  but  as  a  c  i  re  uit-u'tf /&?/'/  During  the  year  he 
held  four  protracted  -  meetings,  at  which  there  were 
over  twenty  accessions  to  the  Church.  The  next  year 
he  was  promoted,  to  his  surprise,  to  the  Rome  Circuit. 
Success  attended  his  earnest  labors  here,  and  217  mem- 
bers were  added  to  the  Church  through  his  instrumen- 
tality.  He  was  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference 
by  Bishop  Pierce,  and  put  in  charge  of  Fresno  Circuit. 
He  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  Methodist  that 
ever  preached  in  Fresno.  Upon  organizing  in  Fresno, 
nineteen  united  with  the  Church. 

He  is  a  zealous  worker — looks  to,  and  labors  for,  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  409 

salvation  of  souls,  and  is  never  disappointed.  There 
has  never  been  a  year  of  his  ministry  in  which  there 
have  not  been  additions  to  the  Church. 

In  the  history  of  this  good  man  we  see  what  God 
can  do  with  one  that  is  willing  to  labor  with  an  eye 
single  to  his  glory.  With  but  limited  educational  ad- 
vantages, his  early  life  clouded  with  the  sad  experiences 
of  a  cruel  and  bloody  war,  beginning  his  ministerial 
life  under  the  most  disadvantageous  circumstances, 
serving  a  people  financially  prostrate,  and  yet  with  a 
firm  faith  in  God  and  the  training:  and  advantages  of 
the  itinerancy,  he  has  proved  himself  worthy  of  his 
high  calling,  and  written  his  name  among  those  who 
"  turn  many  to  righteousness,"  and  of  whom  it  is  said, 
"They  shall  shine  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 

J.  C.  Hyden  was  born  in  Roane  County,  Tennessee, 
March  14,  1827.  His  venerable  parents  were  of  Vir- 
ginia birth  and  education — Methodists  of  the  McKen- 
dree  order.  He  joined  the  Church,  April  14,  1844; 
but  did  not  profess  religion  till  August  following.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach,  September  27,  1849.  ^n  Octo- 
ber of  that  year  he  was  received  on  trial  into  the  Hol- 
ston  Conference.  He  traveled  twenty-one  years  in  that 
Conference,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Western 
Conference,  and  stationed  in  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 
He  was  presiding  elder  two  years,  and  then  transferred 
to  the  Pacific  Conference.  Since  his  admission  into 
the  itinerant  ranks  he  has  never  failed  to  answer  roll- 
call,  and  seems  good  for  many  more  years  of  service  in 
the  ministry. 

P.  F.  Page  was  converted  in  California.  He  is  a  Ca- 
nadian, and  when  converted  knew  nothing  of  Meth- 
odism, or,  in   fact,  any  thing  with  reference  to  any  of 


410         History  of  Southern  Methodism 

the  denominations.  It  is  said  when  he  was  ready  to 
join  the  Church  he  delayed,  because  he  thought  he  did 
not  have  money  enough  to  pay  his  initiation  fee.  But 
some  brother,  like  Aquila,  took  him  and  expounded  the 
way  of  God  more  perfectly  unto  him.  He  soon  felt  a 
call  to  preach,  was  licensed,  and  has  made  us  a  most 
useful  preacher. 

How  wonderfully  apostolic  is  Methodism!  While  it 
can  use  the  mightiest  minds,  and  men  of  the  greatest 
learning — men  that  have  been  brought  up  at  the  feet  of 
our  modern  Gamaliels — yet  she  can  utilize  the  talents 
and  experience  of  all  who  have  found  Christ  in  believ- 
ing. When  one  has  truly  been  enlightened  and  tasted 
of  the  heavenly  gift,  and  been  made  partaker  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  has  tasted  of  the  good  word  of  God 
and  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,  he  is  ready  to 
point  others  the  way  to  the  cross  and  the  blessed  fount- 
ain at  which  he  has  drunk. 

Brother  Page  was  a  printer  by  profession,  and  though 
not  learned  in  theology,  was  possessed  of  a  fund  of  in- 
formation much  of  which  could  be  turned  to  account  in 
the  work  of  God. 

W.  P.  Andrews  is  a  Mississippian.  He  began  his 
work  as  a  preacher  in  California,  and  after  preaching 
here  a  few  years  returned  to  his  native  State,  married, 
preached  a  few  years  there,  and  came  back  to  the 
Pacific  Conference. 

T.  A.   Miller  was  a   young   man   of  delicate  mold. 

From  infancy  he  had  been  feeble.     His  history  during 

his  minority  was  somewhat  remarkable.     He  was  made 

Sunday-school  superintendent  when  but  eleven  years 

of  asre;   was  received  into  full  connection  in  the  Mettl- 
es     ' 

odist  Episcopal  Church,   South,  in  his  sixteenth  year. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  411 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and 
at  nineteen  to  preach.  When  he  was  twenty- four  he 
was  received  into  the  Conference  on  trial,  and  for  three 
or  four  years  he  labored  in  feebleness  of  body,  and  then 
was  forced  to  locate. 


4.13  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

!HE  twenty-sixth  session  was  held  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, October  n,  1S76,  Bishop  E.  M.  Marvin 
presiding.  The  Bishop  was  on  his  way  to  visit 
the  Mission  in  China.  One  of  our  most  saintly  Super- 
intendents, this  visit  was  looked  to  with  the  deepest  in- 
terest by  him  and  the  whole  Church;  and  we  felt  it  a 
peculiar  privilege  that  ours  was  to  be  the  last  Confer- 
ence he  was  to  preside  over  before  starting  to  visit  this 
distant  Mission,  and  then  to  complete  the  circuit  round 
the  world,  touching  in  his  trip  the  Holy  Land,  the  home 
of  the  incarnate  Saviour.  A  hallowed  influence  seemed 
to  pervade  all  his  work,  and  he  impressed  all  who  came 
in  contact  with  him  that  he  felt  and  enjoyed  the  pres- 
ence of  God  in  a  high  degree. 

J.  O.  Branch,  who  had  been  transferred  from  the 
South  Georgia  Conference  during  the  year,  and  sta- 
tioned in  Santa  Rosa,  met  with  us  for  the  first  time. 
We  also  received  A.  L.  Hunsaker,  transferred  from 
the  Memphis  Conference;  also  Philip  Tuggle,  from  the 
Los  Angeles  Conference;  and  M.  C.  Field,  from  the 
Texas  Conference. 

T.  D.  Lewis,  George  H.  Newton,  and  Samuel  A. 
Whipple  were  admitted  on  trial. 

James  O.  Branch  was  one  cf  Georgia's  best  preach- 
ers. He  was  a  clear  thinker  and  forcible  speaker. 
Every  sermon  he  preached  gave  evidence  of  careful 
study  and  prayerful   arrangement.     He  brought   none 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  413 

but  "  beaten  oil  •'  into  the  sanctuary.  He  remained 
with  us  but  two  years,  when,  on  account  of  his  health, 
he  returned  by  transfer  to  the  South  Georgia  Confer- 
ence. 

A.  L.  Hunsaker  was  born  in  McCracken  County, 
Kentucky,  July  31,  183.1.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
he  was  powerfully  convicted,  and  happily  converted  to 
God.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  in  1854,  and  August  19  of  the  same  year  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  received  on  trial  in  the  Memphis 
Conference  that  fall.  For  twenty-one  years  he  labored 
in  that  Conference,  and  then  transferred  to  the  Pacific 
Conference.  He  has  been  somewhat  hindered  in  his 
work  on  this  coast  on  account  of  family  affliction.  He 
is  a  man  of  great  resources,  and  succeeds  well  in  any 
work  given  him.  To  him  the  work  of  the  ministry  is 
a  labor  of  love. 

Philip  Tuggle  was  a  preacher  well  advanced  in  years. 
He  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  the  Los  Angeles  Con- 
ference. He  was  placed  on  the  supernumerary  list. 
He  has  never  been  regarded  as  effective,  and  yet  he  has 
supplied  several  charges.  He  made  his  presence  and 
influence  for  good  felt  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  died 
in  18S6  in  great  peace. 

M.  C.  Field  is  a  young  man.  A  part  of  the  time 
since  his  connection  with  the  Conference  he  has  been 
in  the  local  ranks.     He  is  fully  in  the  work  no, v. 

T.  D.  Lewis  came  to  us  from  the  M.  E.  Church,  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  and  returned  to  the  East. 

G.  H.  Newton,  while  well  advanced  in  years,  is  able 
to  do  good  and  efficient  work.  He  has  had  great  suc- 
cess since  he  has  been  in  the  Conference.  He  looks 
well  to  all  the  interests  of  the   Church.     He  is  a  clear 


414  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

thinker  and  fearless  advocate  of  the  truth.  A  man  of 
strong  convictions  when  he  makes  up  his  mind,  he 
does  not  often  alter  it. 

S.  A.  Whipple  remained  with  us  but  a  little  while, 
and  returned  to  his  native  State,  Texas. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  41^ 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

^HE  twenty  -  seventh  session  was  held  in  Santa 
Rosa,  October  10,  1S77,  Bishop  H.  N.  McTyeire 
presiding.  We  were  favored  with  the  presence 
of  Dr.  W.  R.  Lambuth,  our  young  missionary  to  China. 
His  father  was  at  one  time  Superintendent  of  our  Mis- 
sion in  that  land.  His  son,  following  in  his  footsteps, 
bids  fair  to  be  even  more  useful  than  his  father,  being  a 
physician  as  well  as  preacher.  He  will  often  have  a 
way  of  access  opened  up  to  him  through  the  afflictions 
and  diseases  of  the  people.  His  talk  before  the  Con- 
ference concerning  his  work  in  China,  and  what  he 
had  witnessed  in  that  land  of  superstition,  was  deeply 
interesting,  and  had  the  effect  to  stir  the  missionary 
zeal  of  the  members  of  the  body. 

We  had  but  a  single  applicant  for  admission  at  this 
session — A.  L.  Paul.  He  has  made  us  a  useful  preach- 
er. He  was  born  in  Dubuque  County,  Iowa;  con- 
verted at  sixteen;  but  when,  three  years  afterward,  he 
felt  a  call  to  the  ministry,  and  he  refused  to  obey,  he 
lost  his  comfort  and  drifted  into  sin.  Coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1S76,  under  the  faithful  labors  of  J.  H.  Xeal 
he  was  induced  to  yield  to  his  convictions  of  duty.  He 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  February,  1S77.  He  is  still  with 
us,  abounding  in  good  works. 

G.  W.  Humphries  came  to  us  from  the  Free  Methodist 
Church.     He  was  of  English  birth;  came  to  America  in 


4i 6         History  of  Southern  Methodism 

i 85  i,  and  was  converted  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
joined  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  was  ordained  both  dea- 
con and  elder  in  that  Church.  It  is  not  known  when, 
where,  or  why  he  joined  the  Free  Methodists.  He 
came  to  California,  October  13,  1873;  joined  our  Church 
of  choice,  and  worked  with  great  zeal  for  its  advance- 
ment. He  was  very  earnest,  and  sometimes  abrupt,  in 
his  manner.  He  was  one  of  the  best  of  men;  and  very 
many  souls  were  converted  under  his  ministry. 

The  physical  afflictions  that  produced  his  death  were 
peculiar.  He  suffered  from  a  stricture,  or  closing  of 
the  esophagus,  or  swallow.  For  weeks  he  could  not 
swallow  even  a  drop  of  water,  and  he  perished  of  hun- 
ger, with  provisions  all  round  him.  He  said  to  the 
writer,  who  visited  him  in  his  last  sickness,  "O  Broth- 
er Simmons,  I  want  you  to  pray  for  one  thing — that  the 
Lord  will  not  let  me  die  of  starvation."  But  though 
his  body  was  refused  its  necessary  food,  his  soul  was 
replenished  from  day  to  day..  He  said,  "  The  prospect 
before  me  is  glorious;  every  thing  is  bright;  I  am  hap- 
py as  a  king."  His  last  message  to  his  fellow-laborers 
was,  "Tell  my  brethren  of  the  Pacific  Conference  that 
the  great  salvation  makes  me  happy.  I  have  no  mere 
emotional  sentiment,  but  the  real  salvation."  On  No- 
vember 2,  18S2,  the  Master  called  for  his  servant.  Rais- 
ing his  hand  at  the  call,  he  shouted,  "Glory!  glory!" 
and  then  whispering,  "Jesus!"  fell  asleep  to  wait  the 
resurrection  trump. 

The  year  of  which  this  Conference  formed  the  close 
had  been  a  most  successful  and  prosperous  one.  Over 
700  souls  had  been  added  to  the  Church,  and  the  ma- 
terial interests  were  greatly  advanced. 

C.  P.  Jones,  D.D.,  who  came  to  us  by  transfer  in  1875, 


Ox  the  Pacific  Qpast.  417 

left  us  and  united  with  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  took 
work  in  the  California  Conference. 

The  delegates  elected  to  the  General  Conference  this 
year  were — J.  C.  Simmons  and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  cler- 
ical, and  C.  P.  Berry  and  Wick  B.  Parsons,  laymen. 

27 


41S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

wmYLE  twenty -eighth  session  was  held  in  St.  Paul 
W  Church,  San  Francisco,  October  16,  1878,  Bishop 
kf  W.  M.  Wightman  presiding.  For  many  years 
E.  K.  Miller  had  been  the  Secretary  of  the  Conference, 
always  prompt  and  accurate,  his  records  passing  un- 
challenged under  the  eagle  eyes  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence Committee.  This  year  he  was  absent,  having  re- 
turned to  his  native  Conference  in  Missouri.  The  fol- 
lowing resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  by  the 
Conference: 

Whereas,  the  Rev.  E.  K.  Miller,  for  fourteen  years  an  able  and 
efficient  member  of  this  Conference,  has  been  transferred  from 
us  to  the  Missouri  Conference;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  1.  That  in  his  departure  from  us  this  Conference 
loses  one  of  its  strongest  members,  the  Church  a  faithful  pastor, 
and  the  State  an  estimable  citizen. 

2.  That  we  will  most  cordially  welcome  him  back  whenever, 
in  the  providence  of  God,  he  shall  so  purpose  to  return. 

Three  were  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Conference  at 
this  session — A.  R.  Reams,  recommended  by  the  Sa- 
linas Circuit;  H.  M.  McKnight  and  J.  T  Howard,  rec- 
ommended from  the  Princeton  Circuit. 

A.  R.  Reams  was  a  graduate  of  Vanderbilt  Univer- 
sity, and  came  to  devote  his  life  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
on  this  coast.  He  has  a  fine  analytical  mind,  and  is  de- 
veloping considerable  talent  as  a  polemic.  He  has 
written  a  treatise  on  the  Christian  Sabbath  in  answer 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


419 


to  the  views  held  by  the  Sabbatarians,  who  have  a 
following  in  many  parts  of  California,  which  is  a  very 
creditable  work. 

A  preacher  in  California  has  to  be  prepared  to  meet 
error  of  all  sorts.  And  while,  as  a  general  rule,  the 
simple  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  the  best  reply  to  all 
errors  of  faith  or  practice,  yet  a  preacher  should  ever 
be  fortified  with  the  best  arguments  on  all  subjects  like- 
ly to  come  under  his  hand  as  a  pastor. 

In  some  parts  of  our  State  the  Seventh-day  Advent- 
ists  have,  by  their  zeal  and  persistence,  taken  from  our 
Communion  some  of  our  best  members.  Their  wild, 
conflicting  theories  and  vagaries,  the  frequent  and  utter 
failure  of  their  predictions  as  to  the  second  coming  of 
Christ,  will  not  stop  their  teachings  or  prevent  a  follow- 
ing on  the  part  of  some.  They  have  one  of  the  largest 
of  their  publishing  houses  in  Oakland  to  be  found  in  the 
United  States,  and  they  are  pushing  their  papers,  books, 
and  tracts  upon  the  attention  of  the  reading  people  with 
a  persistence  that  can  but  be  productive  of  fruit. 

These  troublers  of  Israel  laid  siege  to  the  community 
in  which  A.  R.  Reams  was  laboring.  He  met  them  in 
debate,  and  the  sharp  conflict  through  which  he  passed 
brought  forth  the  treatise  referred  to. 

Brother  Reams  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
December  31,  1859. 

H.  M.  McKnight  was  also  born  in  Tennessee,  but  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  he  is  a  Missourian,  his  parents 
moving  to  that  State  in  his  infancy.  Trained  in  his  in- 
fancy by  pious  parents  to  love  and  serve  God,  he  has 
the  highest  respect  and  love  for  the  good,  and  es- 
pecially for  those  engaged  in  the  Christian  ministry. 
When  converted  there  came  over  him  that  strange  feel- 


420  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ing  so  unexpected  yet  so  familiar  to  many  who  have 
experienced  a  call  to  the  Christian  ministry.  In  his  own 
language:  "A  feeling  of  loneliness,  responsibility  with- 
out ability  to  meet  it,  developed  itself  distinctly  into  a 
duty  to  preach  the  peace  to  others.  But  how  could  I? 
For  long  years  I  pined  in  sadness,  and  almost  to  spirit- 
ual ruin.  I  might  have  been  seen  wandering,  day  or 
night,  with  book  in  hand,  to  the  solitude  of  the  silent 
grove,  or  reclining  upon  one  favorite  clefted  rock.  At 
last  I  surrendered,  and  was  made  joyful  again." 

How  frequently  have  we,  in  studying  the  experience 
of  the  men  who  figure  in  these  pages,  found  them  fight- 
ing against,  or  flying  from,  a  call  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel! The  callings  of  God  are  without  repentance.  The 
command  once  issued  is  never  recalled  until  probation 
ends,  and  a  man's  peace,  if  not  his  salvation,  depends 
upon  obedience.  He  may  stifle  his  impressions  by  the 
roar  and  clatter  of  secular  business,  but  always,  when 
his  thoughts  turn  to  God,  he  feels  the  impression,  and 
hears  the  still  small  voice  whispering  of  duty — a  duty 
the  demands  of  which  can  only  be  satisfied  by  obedi- 
ence. No  other  service  can  be  substituted  for  it;  no 
gifts  can  buy  off  the  King. 

After  traveling  a  few  years,  Brother  McKnight,  be- 
ing young,  felt  that  a  course  of  theological  study  at  the 
Vanderbilt  would  not  be  wasted,  and  so  he  went  to  that 
institution  and  graduated  in  that  department.  On  his 
return  he  was  connected  with  Pacific  Methodist  Col- 
lege as  teacher  in  the  primary  department,  but  in  1SS5 
he  again  took  his  place  in  the  regular  itinerant  ranks. 

J.  T.  Howard  was  from  Canada.  His  father  was  a 
traveling  preacher  in  the  M.  E.  Church  in  Canada. 

Here  was  another  instance  of  an  effort  to  flv  the  call 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  421 

of  God  to  preach.  He  was  converted  at  fourteen,  and 
realized  it  to  be  his  indispensable  duty  to  preach  when 
he  was  nineteen.  He  was  not  obedient  to  the  heavenly 
calling;  strove  to  rid  his  mind  of  such  impressions; 
plunged  into  business,  and,  of  course,  under  the  neg- 
lect of  duty,  necessarily  lost  that  peace  of  mind  he  once 
enjoyed.  He  fled  to  California;  sought  for  gold;  found 
it — lost  it.  Misfortune  came.  It  was  sanctified  to  his 
good.  Yielding  at  last  to  duty,  he  had  his  lost  peace 
restored,  and  for  several  years  was  useful  in  the  Con- 
ference. Difficulties  surrounded  him,  and  he  retired 
from  the  ministry,  but  he  is  not  happy. 

J.  S.  Hutton  is  not  afraid  of  work,  or  of  hard  appoint- 
ments. For  three  years  he  traveled  the  Tres  Pinos  Cir- 
cuit, which  involves  as  much  of  hard  mountain  travel 
as  any  other  in  the  Conference.  Each  year  he  brought 
up  a  good  report  of  his  work. 

W.  M.  Prottsman  remained  with  us  but  a  short  time, 
when  he  returned  to  his  native  Conference,  where  he 
is  doing  good  work. 

C.  Y.  Rankin  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tennes- 
see, August  25,  1848.  His  was  a  religious  family,  a 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  devotion  being  character- 
istic of  the  children,  two  of  his  sisters — Misses  Lochie 
and  Dora  Rankin — being  found  among  that  devoted 
band  of  women-workers  in  China.  Just  after  the  Civil 
War  his  father  moved  to  Milan,  Tennessee,  where,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  he  went  to  work  to  earn  money  to 
finish  his  education,  having  been  interrupted  by  the 
war.  He  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  the  fall 
of  1870  he  entered  Milan  College,  desirous  of  fitting 
himself  for  the  Christian  ministry,  for  which  he  felt 
called   of  God.     He  took    the   degree   of  A.B.   in   this 


422  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

school,  and  afterward  entered  the  Southern  University, 
Greensboro,  Alabama,  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated in  July,  1873,  having  taken,  in  addition  to  the  reg- 
ular A.B.  course,  about  two-thirds  of  the  A.M.  course, 
as  prescribed  by  this  university.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  been  licensed  to  preach.  He  first  entered  the 
Memphis  Conference,  in  November,  1873.  He  labored 
in  this  Conference  till  1877,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Pacific  Conference,  and  stationed  in  Sacramento 
City.  At  a  very  early  age,  when  a  mere  child,  he  felt 
impressed  with  a  call  to  preach,  and  grew  up  with 
that  impression. 

He  has  been  stationed  in  Santa  Rosa,  taught  for  a 
time  in  Pacific  Methodist  College,  and  is  now  in  his 
third  year  as  presiding  elder.  He  is  extremely  consci- 
entious. Duty,  duty  to  God,  stands  ever  between  him 
and  every  thing  else. 

M.  B.  Sharbrough  came  to  us  from  the  Mississippi 
Conference,  having  just  been  admitted  into  full  connec- 
tion in  that  Conference.  He  belonged  to  the  family  of 
Levi,  his  father — F.  W.  Sharbrough — being  an  honored 
member  of  the  Mississippi  Conference.  He  was  con- 
verted before  he  was  quite  ten,  and  while  he  had  a  sea- 
son of  coldness  on  account  of  neglect  of  duty  and  some 
sinful  practices,  yet  he  ever  intended  to  be  a  Christian. 
When  he  wTas  about  sixteen  years  old  he  reconsecrated 
himself  to  God,  and  his  peace  was  restored.  From 
childhood  he  felt  an  impression  to  preach.  This  im- 
pression grew  in  intensity  as  he  grew  in  years.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  gave  his  full  consent  to  be  a  preacher, 
and  began  adjusting  himself  to  his  life-work.  He  at- 
tended Centenary  College,  Jackson,  Louisiana.  For 
nearly  two   years  he  remained  at  this   school.     While 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  423 

there  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  April  26,  1S75,  and  in 
the  following  December  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into 
the  Conference.  After  two  years'  work  in  Mississippi 
he  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference,  where  he  ex- 
pects to  end  his  days.  He  is  an  earnest,  faithful  preach- 
er, doing  good  service. 

L.  C.  Renfro,  who  had  served  as  Assistant  Secretary, 
was  now  elected  Secretary  of  the  Conference,  and  to 
the  present  has  made  us  as  faithful,  painstaking,  and  cor- 
rect a  Secretary  as  did  Brother  Miller. 

The  Committee  on  the  State  of  the. Work  gave  a 
most  encouraging  report,  and  after  reviewing  the  entire 
field,  say  in  regard  to  the  material  advancement  of  the 
Church:  "During  the  year  our  people  have  not  been 
indifferent  to  the  acquisition  of  Church-property.  At 
Willow  two  lots  have  been  secured,  and  a  comfortable 
church  has  been  erected  by  Brother  McWhorter.  At 
Arbuckle,  on  the  line  of  the  Northern  Railway,  J.  S. 
Clarke  is  building  a  church  which,  when  finished,  will 
be  an  ornament  to  the  town  and  a  blessing  to  the  com- 
munity. Trinity  church,  at  Colusa,  will  be  finished  and 
furnished  within  the  next  two  months.  A  church, 
comfortable  and  commodious,  has  been  erected  at  Le- 
moore;  a  parsonage  at  Mountain  View,  and  one  at  Oc- 
cident." 


424         History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

fHE  twenty-ninth  Conference  met  at  Sacramento, 
October  8,  1879,  Bishop  J.  C.  Keener  presiding. 
Four  young  men  were  received  on  trial  at  this 
Conference — J.  M.  Brown,  W.  H.  Cooper,  J.  F.  Rob- 
erts, and  H.  Neate.  We  received  by  transfer  W.  H. 
Richardson,  H.  A.  M.  Henderson,  and  F.  M.  Feather- 
stun. 

J.  M.  Brown  was  recommended  by  the  Salinas  Cir- 
cuit. He  had  been  working  as  a  supply  for  a  year  or 
two.  He  is  a  young  man  of  strong  constitution,  ready 
to  go  anywhere  the  authorities  may  see  proper  to  send 
him. 

W.  H.  Cooper  has  done  good  work  so  far,  and  is  des- 
tined to  make  a  very  useful  member  of  the  Conference. 

J.  F.  Roberts  had  preached  some  years  before  admis- 
sion into  the  Conference.  He  is  something  of  a  writer, 
is  quiet  and  unobtrusive,  but  is  none  the  less  worthy 
for  that. 

H.  Neate  is  an  Englishman,  and  is  making  us  a  use- 
ful man. 

W.  H.  Richardson  transferred  from  the  South  Caro- 
lina Conference.  He  had  been  sent  out  and  put  in 
charge  of  Stockton  Station,  but  after  a  few  months' 
trial  returned  by  transfer  to  his  native  Conference. 

H.  A.  M.  Henderson  came  from  the  Kentucky  Con- 
ference. He  was  put  in  charge  of  the  San  Francisco 
Station,  but  after  a  little  over  a  year's  trial  went  back, 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  425 

lodged  in  Missouri  for  awhile,  and  then  went  North 
and  joined  the  M.  E.  Church. 

F.  M.  Featherstun  came  from  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence; remained  with  us  until  1884,  doing  good  work, 
and  returned  to  Mississippi,  where  he  is  highly  es- 
teemed. 


426  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

HE  thirtieth  session  was  held  in  San  Jose,  Octo- 
ber 27,  1880,  Bishop  H.  H.  Kavanaugh  presiding. 

|S  Bishop  D.  S.  Doggett  had  been  assigned  to  our 
Conference,  but  ere  it  met  he  had  been  called  to  his  re- 
ward on  high.  But  our  faithful  friend,  who  was  ever 
readv  to  visit  our  shores,  came  in  his  stead,  and  at  the 
appointed  hour  opened  the  Conference  by  reading  the 
Scriptures,  singing,  and  prayer.  His  remarks  on  the 
death  of  his  honored  colleague  as  the  cause  of  his  com- 
ing were  very  touching.  Arrangements  had  been  made 
to  beofin  the  session  with  the  administration  of  the  sac- 
rament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Dr.  H.  B.  Heacock,  and 
a  few  other  members  of  the.  M.  E.  Church  being  pres- 
ent, were  introduced  to  the  Conference,  and  Dr.  Hea- 
cock invited  to  assist  Bishop  Kavanaugh  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  sacrament.  It  was  a  sweetly-solemn 
occasion,  and  put  all  hearts  in  tune  for  the  duties  of  the 
Conference. 

We  were  favored  at  this  session  with  the  presence  of 
Dr.  A.  W.  Wilson,  then  Missionary  Secretary,  now 
Bishop.  We  took  him  to  our  hearts  at  once  as  a  Meth- 
odist preacher.  He  gave  us  a  talk  upon  the  general  in- 
terests of  the  Publishing  House,  showing  perfect  fa- 
miliarity with  that  institution,  and  then  enlarged  on  the 
subject  of  Missions. 

We  received   by   transfer  J.  C.  C.  Harris  and  L.  R. 
Featherstun,  both  from   the   Los  Angeles   Conference; 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  427 

on  trial,  M.  J.  Gough,  W.  H.  Layson,  D.  W.  Yokum, 
and  C.  C.  McVeigh. 

Lewis  R.  Featherstun  was  the  son  of  F.  M.  Feather- 
stun.  He  came  originally  from  the  Mississippi  Confer- 
ence; came  west  for  his  health,,  and  after  remaining  in 
the  Los  Angeles  Conference  but  a  single  year,  he  came 
to  us.  He  did  good  work  while  with  us.  He  built  a 
beautiful  church  at  the  South  Buttes,  on  the  Yuba  City 
Circuit,  the  last  work  he  served.  He  attended  the  Con- 
ference that  held  its  session  in  Colusa,  1S83,  and  was 
appointed  to  Gait  Circuit.  But  before  he  had  time  to 
change  from  one  appointment  to  the  other,  he  received 
his  summons  to  go  up  on  high,  and  without  a  fear  he 
laid  down  his  armor  and  Went  into  the  presence  of  his 
King.  He  said:  "  I  feel  I  am  going  to  die;  but  it  is  all 
right  with  me — I  am  ready."  As  he  neared  the  final 
hour,  the  scene  took  on  a  more  heavenly  type.  Once, 
in  broken  accents,  he  spoke  of  the  angels,  and  then,  as 
if  watching  and  recording  each  movement  of  his  heav- 
enly conductors,  he  exclaimed:  "  Nearing  heaven — at 
the  gate  —  entering  paradise!"  And  then  as  if  over- 
whelmed with  the  sight  shut  out  from  the  eyes  of  his 
anxious  friends  of  earth,  but  in  full  view  of  him  on 
whom  the  change  was  coining,  he  shouted:  "Glory! 
glory!  the  angels!  the  angels!  good -by!  good-by!  fare- 
well! farewell!"  And  thus  in  one  breath  he  bade  fare- 
well to  earth  and  greeted  heaven. 

How  these  Methodist  preachers  die!  Spending  a  life- 
time in  preaching  of  heaven,  God  sometimes  lifts  the 
veil  before  all  the  fastenings  that  bind  us  to  this  life  are 
cast  off. 

Matthew  J.  Gough  is  an  Englishman  by  birth.  He  is 
diligent  in  his  work,  and  bids  fair  to  make  a  useful  man. 


428  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

J.  C.  C.  Harris  remained  with  us  till  18S4,  when  he 
retransferred  to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference,  and  after 
one  year's  labor  there,  located. 

William  H.  Layson  is  a  graduate  of  Pacific  Meth- 
odist College — a  nephew  of  T.  H.  B.  Anderson.  He  is 
a  close  student.  He  entered  upon  the  work  with  zeal; 
was  first  sent  to  Biggs  Circuit,  but  during  the  year  was 
changed  and  sent  to  organize  our  Church  in  Oakland. 
He  was  young  and  inexperienced,  but  succeeded  be- 
yond expectation  for  one  so  young;  was  returned  the 
second  year,  gave  up  the  work  in  the  midst  of  the  year, 
and  at  Conference  was  discontinued,  at  his  own  request. 

Daniel  W.  Yokum  was  admitted  on  trial,  received 
an  appointment,  and  when  next  heard  from  he  was 
in  Oregon.     He  has  since  been  laboring  in  that  State. 

Charles  C.  McVeigh  was  expelled  during  the  year 
for  immoral  conduct. 

Sunday  afternoon  of  this  session  was  devoted  to  a 
memorial  service  in  honor  of  the  late  Bishop  D.  S.  Dog- 
gett.  J.  C.  Simmons  led  in  religious  exercises,  and  made 
some  remarks  upon  the  death  of  the  Bishop.  A  suita- 
ble preamble  and  resolutions  were  then  introduced. 
Bishop  Kavanaugh  made  a  few  touching  remarks,  when 
Dr.  Wilson  delivered  a  length v  address  on  the  life  and 
character  of  his  friend,  Bishop  Doggett.  A  page  on 
our  record-book  was  set  apart  as  a  memorial  page  to  his 
memory,  and  the  preamble  and  resolutions  in  reference 
to  him  were  spread  upon  it. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

'HE  thirty-first  session  was  held  in  Petaluma,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1SS1,  Bishop  H.  H.  Kavanaugh  pre- 
siding. This  was  the  seventh  time  the  dear  old 
Bishop  had  sat  as  President  of  our  Conference — first  in 
1856,  twice  spending  a  year  at  a  time  with  us,  and  pre- 
siding over  two  Conferences  in  succession.  This  en- 
twined him  very  closely  in  all  our  hearts.  Once  he  came 
to  us  when  we  were  entirely  cut  off  from  the  home 
Church,  suffered  with  us  and  for  us,  and  to  say  that  we 
loved  him  would  not  express  all  our  feelings.  We  ven- 
erated him,  and  now,  as  he  sat  and  guided  our  delibera- 
tions this  the  seventh  time — the  complete  number — 
though  to  outward  appearance  hale  and  strong,  yet  we 
did  not  know  that  we  should  ever  see  his  face  again  in 
the  flesh.  His  sermon  on  Sunday,  though  a  little  more 
disjointed  than  formerly,  yet  gave  no  sign  of  dimming 
fires  or  wasting  strength.  As  of  old,  he  stood  before 
us  the  prince  of  pulpit  orators.  Reaching  his  perora- 
tion by  the  most  masterly  flight,  he  turned  his  eye  heav- 
enward, and  shot  upward  with  a  daring  and  splendor 
of  flight  never  excelled  in  his  younger  days.  When  he 
read  the  Appointments  at  the  close  of  the  Conference, 
and  pronounced  the  apostolic  benediction,  his  work 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  was  done,  and,  like  Moses  still  in 
strength,  he  turned  from  us  to  meet  his  God  and  die  be- 
fore we  should  see  him  again. 

This  vear  we  had  no  admissions  into  the  Conference, 


430  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

Steps  were  taken  at  this  Conference  to  secure  an 
Episcopal  residence  on  the  coast,  and  a  strong  petition 
was  sent  the  General  Conference  to  "  designate  San 
FranciSco  as  an  Episcopal  residence  on  account  of  its 
central  position  on  the  highway  of  nations,  the  facilities 
of  communication  which  it  affords  not  only  to  States 
and  Territories  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but  the 
empires  of  the  Orient." 

We  have  had  our  full  share  of  Episcopal  supervision 
•—perhaps  some  might  think  more  than  our  share.  Sev- 
eral times  have  we  had  a  Bishop  to  spend  the  entire 
year  with  us,  visiting  at  all  points  and  preaching  for 
our  people.  But  then  ours  has  been,  and  is  yet,  a  pe- 
culiar work,  as  any  one  can  see  by  the  perusal  of  these 
pages.  And  above  all  the  Conferences,  we  of  the  ex- 
treme West  needed  the  constant  oversight  and  super- 
vision of  a  Bishop.  In  the  changes  that  often  rapidly 
occur  with  us — changes  unknown  in  the  older  Confer- 
ences— we  needed  a  General  Superintendent  to  adjust 
matters  at  once  to  these  changes.  Ours  was  not  a  for- 
tification held  for  years,  but  we  were  on  the  open  field, 
moving,  changing  with  the  ever-changing  circumstances 
before  and  around  us.  We  needed  the  influence  of  his 
exalted  position  and  office.  In  a  land  like  ours,  where 
everything  is  forced  to  stand  on  its  merits,  and  nothing 
is  gauged  by  its  past  record,  a  chief  shepherd  would 
have  been  worth  more  to  us  than  half  a  score  of  preach- 
ers. We  have  ever  felt  this,  and  have  pleaded  from  the 
beginning  to  have  a  Bishop  reside  in  our  midst.  We 
want  no  local  or  diocesan  Bishop,  but  we  want  one 
placed  within  short  call  of  our  wants  and  the  exigen- 
cies of  any  occasion  that  might  arise. 

Our  brethren  of  the  M.  E.  Church  have  moved  in  ad- 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  431 

vance  of  us  in  this  matter.  But  this  year  their  Bishop, 
while  in  the  midst  of  a  grand  work  for  them,  was  called 
away  by  death.  Our  Conference  deeply  sympathized 
with  them  in  their  loss,  and  adopted  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolution: 

Whereas,  in  the  providence  of  God  the  M.  E.  Church  on  this 
coast  has  been  during  the  past  year  bereaved  by  the  death  of 
their  resident  Bishop,  the  Rev.  E.  O.  Haven,  D.D.,  LL.D.;  and 
whereas.  Bishop  Haven  had  endeared  himself  to  our  ministers 
and  people  wherever  he  was  known,  and  that  in  his  death  the 
Protestant  Churches  on  the  Pacific  Coast  have  lost  one  of  their 
ablest  advocates;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  sympathize  with  our  sister  Conferences 
in  this  their  deep  affliction,  and  hereby  extend  to  them  our  heart- 
felt condolence. 

For  a  number  of  years  a  strong  feeling  of  fraternity 
has  been  growing  between  ours  and  the  M.  E.  Church 
(North).  Fraternal  delegates  have  been  from  time  to 
time  exchanged  between  the  two  Conferences,  and  in 
many  places  preachers  and  people  have  worked  har- 
moniously together.  The  year  before  Bishop  Haven's 
death  he  had  delivered  a  literary  address  at  the  Com- 
mencement exercises  of  the  Pacific  Methodist  College. 

The  delegates  to  the  General  Conference  elected  at 
this  Conference  were:  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  and  T.  H.  B. 
Anderson,  clerical;  and  W.  F.  Goad  and  W.  B.  Brown, 
lay. 


432  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

|#HE  thirty-second  session  was  held  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, October  n,  1S82,  Bishop  R.  K.  Hargrove, 
one  of  our  new  Bishops,  presiding. 

J.  H.  Collins,  from  the  Memphis  Conference:  S.  M. 
Godbey,  from  the  South-west  Missouri  Conference;  and 
H.  Walter  Featherstun,  from  the  Los  Angeles  Confer- 
ence, came  to  us  by  transfer.  W.  P.  Andrews,  who 
had  once  been  a  member  of  the  Conference,  returned, 
and  D.  M.  Rice  was  re-admitted. 

A  class  of  seven  noble  young  men  were  admitted  on 
trial — namely,  Paris  N.  Blankenship,  David  T.  Belvel, 
Thomas  J.  Alexander,  William  A.  Booker,  Martin  V. 
Howard,  Edwin  Palmer,  and  William  D.  Taylor.  Al- 
ready some  of  these  young  men  have  been  tried  on 
hard  circuits,  and  they  have  stood  the  test.  One  (T.J. 
Alexander)  left  the  work  at  the  Conference  of  18S5. 

J.  H.  Collins  was  a  good  preacher  and  an  indefati- 
gable worker.  He  was  deeply  pious,  and  his  whole 
soul  was  in  the  work.  His  first  year  in  the  Conference 
was  a  success.  He  was  stationed  in  Chico,  where  a 
glorious  revival  accompanied  his  labors.  But  while  in 
the  g-low  and  ardor  of  the  revival-fire  a  "  holiness 
band "  came,  and  he  became  involved  in  its  peculiar 
workings,  and  lost  much  of  his  influence.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  put  upon  the  Shasta  District,  a  new 
district  organized  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 
But  the  crotchets  he  had  adopted  from  this  peculiar 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast  433 

form  of  holiness  clung  to  him,  and  in  large  measure 
prevented  his  usefulness.  He  was  returned  to  the  dis- 
trict the  second  year,  but  owing  to  affliction  in  his 
wife's  family  in  Tennessee  he  returned  in  the  midst  of 
the  year. 

California  has  been  greatly  afflicted  with  a  peculiar 
phase  of  the  "  holiness"  movement.  A  set  of  men  cut- 
ting loose  from  all  Church  responsibility  have  organ- 
ized themselves  into  a  "  band,"  and  travel  all  over  the 
State,  holding  their  meetings  wherever  they  can  secure 
a  hearing.  Most  of  the  members  of  this  association 
were  formerly  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  That 
Church  at  first  fostered  it,  being  commissioned  as  a 
Church  "  to  spread  scriptural  holiness  over  the  land." 
But  they  soon  found  that  much  of  their  teaching  was 
not  "  scriptural,"  and  by  formal  Conference  resolution 
they  ignored  the  whole  thing.  These  men,  without  in- 
tending it,  built  up  a  sort  of  spiritual  aristocracy.  They 
look  down  with  pity,  if  not  contempt,  on  all  who  do 
not  profess  as  they  do.  They  are  constantly  making 
flings  at  "  Churchianity,"  as  they  are  pleased  to  call  it. 
By  a  simple  process  they  lead  men  and  women  to  pro- 
fess sanctification,  make  them  trumpet  it  to  the  world 
as  the  "glory  of  full  redemption,"  and  when  these  loud 
professors  are  guilty  of  inconsistencies  in  their  every- 
day life  they  do  an  incalculable  amount  of  injury  to  the 
cause  of  Christ.  The  path  that  has  been  beaten  hard 
and  plain  by  the  feet  of  the  long  line  of  the  saints  that 
were  devoted  to  the  organized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
should  not  be  forsaken  for  any  other,  however  highly 
recommended.  If  our  enemy  cannot  overcome  us  by 
a  direct  assault  he  will  enter  our  citadel  in  the  guise  of 
a  friend  if  we  are  not  watchful,  and  the  disaster  that 
28 


434         History  of  Southern  "Methodism 

will  inevitably  follow  will  be  none  the  less  overwhelm- 
ing because  of  the  peculiar  mode  of  his  attack. 

S-  M.  Godbey  was  put  at  once  as  Professor  in  Pacific 
Methodist  Oollege,  and  has  proved  of  invaluable  serv- 
ice to  us.  His  quaint,  quiet  ways  win  for  him  the  love 
of  the  students.  He  is  a  good  preacher,  and  is  destined 
no  doubt  to  make  his  mark  in  California. 

H.  Walter  Featherstun,  also  a  son  of  F.  M.  Feather- 
stun,  is  a  highly  educated  gentleman  and  a  good  preach- 
er. He  was  stationed  in  Sacramento,  but  at  the  close 
of  the  first  year  transferred  to  Mississippi,  where  he 
first  labored. 

This  year  a  new  venture  was  made  in  San  Francisco. 
For  years  we  had  been  struggling  in  that  city,  hoping 
against  hope.  A.  M.  Wynn,  as  related  elsewhere,  or- 
ganized a  Society  before  the  formation  of  the  Pacific 
Conference.  But  the  very  record  of  this  first  class  is 
lost.  Dr.  Boring  bought  a  building  and  had  it  erect- 
ed on  Powell  Street,  which  was  afterward  sold  and  a 
more  eligible  site  was  secured.  A  building  was  begun. 
This  proved  to  be  on  public-school  property,  and  the 
school  authorities  paid  us  just  what  it  cost  us. 

In  1852  J.  S.  Malone  and  Morris  Evans,  two  of  our 
very  best  young  preachers,  were  stationed  here  with 
Dr.  J.  Boring,  editor  of  the  Observer,  who  was  to  ren- 
der any  assistance  in  his  power  in  building  up  the  Church 
in  this  city.  In  1S53  Dr.  J.  Boring  was  stationed  here 
alone.  In  1854  it  was  left  to  be  supplied.  In  1855  O. 
Fisher,  just  then  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Conference, 
was  sent  here.  He  preached,  as  related  elsewhere,  in  a 
Presbyterian  church  to  a  Presbyterian  congregation,  and 
nothing  was  done  to  build  up  our  branch  of  the  Church. 
In    1S56   B.  T.  Crouch   was  appointed    to  the   station, 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  435 

meeting  with  no  more  success  than  his  predecessors. 
At  the  second  Conference  held  in  this  year — this  being 
necessary  in  changing  from  the  spring  to  the  fall  of  the 
year — it  was  left  to  be  supplied.  In  1S57  the  Pacific 
Methodist  was  removed  from  Stockton  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  the  editor,  received  the  nom- 
inal appointment  to  the  charge.  He  did  what  preach- 
ing he  could,  but  nothing  was  accomplished.  We  had 
a  few  members  living  in  the  city  who  clung  to  the  shad- 
ow of  an  existence  as  a  Church.  The  next  year  O.  P. 
Fitzgerald  was  returned  as  preacher  in  charge  and  ed- 
itor of  the  Pacific  Methodist.  Accordingly,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1858,  a  small  congregation  met  in  the  Chinese 
Chapel,  corner  of  Sacramento  and  Stockton  Streets,  and 
had  an  appropriate  sermon  from  Brother  Fitzgerald 
from  Nehemiah  iv.  20:  "  In  what  place  therefore  ye  hear 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  resort  ye  thither  unto  us:  our 
God  shall  fight  for  us."  After  which  he  proceeded  to 
organize  a  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.  Eight  persons  presented  themselves  for  mem- 
bership, namely,  the  Rev.  D.  O.  Shattuck,  the  Rev.  C. 
L.  Newman,  A.  G.  Kitchens,  Wick  B.  Parsons,  Mrs.  Sa- 
rah B.  Fitzgerald,  Mrs.  Mary  Spencer,  Mrs.  M.  G.  Par- 
sons, and  Mrs.  Margaret  Woodhead.  Brother  New- 
man was  appointed  class-leader,  and  Brothers  Shattuck, 
Newman,  Kitchens,  and  Parsons,  stewards.  The  rec- 
ord concludes:  ,;  The  presence  of  God  was  felt  by  all, 
and  every  heart  was  strengthened  for  future  duty." 
Thus  the  first  permanent  organization  of  our  Church 
was  formed  in  this  great  city.  At  the  first  Quarterly 
Conference  for  the  station,  held  January  10, 1859,  two  pro- 
bationers, J.  W.  Shattuck  and  G.  P.  Butler,  and  Mrs.  Mar- 
tha Newman,  George  White,  Mrs.  Melvina  White,  and 


436  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

A.  Klose  by  letter,  were  reported.  Joseph  Genella  also 
seems  to  have  been  received,  as  he  is  among  the  official 
members.  The  congregation  worshiped  the  greater  part 
of  this  year  in  the  Presbyterian  Chinese  Chapel  men- 
tioned, when  a  church  on  Pine  Street,  near  Montgom- 
ery, was  rented.  In  1S59  it  was  left  to  be  supplied.  O. 
P.  Fitzgerald,  editor  of  the  Pacific  Methodist,  and  L. 
Cately,  book  agent,  supplied  it.  Regular  services  were 
kept  up  and  quarterly-meetings  held.  In  1S60  W.  R. 
Gober  was  stationed  in  San  Francisco.  The  troubles 
in  connection  with  the  Civil  War  that  was  then  impend- 
ing began  to  thicken,  men's  hearts  were  failing  them 
for  fear,  and  thinking  our  name  would  cut  us  off  from 
many,  an  effort  was  formally  made  in  the  Quarterly 
Conference  to  change  the  name,  as  far  as  the  Church  in 
San  Francisco  was  concerned.  At  the  second  Quar- 
terly Conference,  held  February  3,  1S60,  M.  Evans  be- 
ing the  presiding  elder  and  W.  R.  Gober  preacher  in 
charge,  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  Charles  Spencer,  R.  Larimore, 
Joseph  Genella,  and  Wick  B.  Parsons,  being  present  as 
members  of  the  Quarterly  Conference,  the  following 
resolutions  were  adopted: 

Resolved,  1.  That  this  Society  be  forever  hereafter  known 
and  called  "Pacific  Methodist  Church." 

2.  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  this  day  elected  be  incorpo- 
rated as  a  religious  corporation  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
under  the  said  name — "  Pacific  Methodist  Church." 

3.  That  the  presiding  elder  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  requested  and 
directed  to  make  and  file  according  to  law  a  certificate  of  incor- 
poration of  our  Society  under  said  name. 

At  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference,  held  August  5, 
1 36 1,  the  preacher  in  charge  reported:  "  There  was  con- 
siderable  falling   off  in  our  congregation  shortly  after 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  437 

the  third  quarterly-meeting,  owing,  doubtless,  to  politi- 
cal troubles."  The  following  year  W.  R.  Gober  was 
returned  to  the  station.  We  were  in  possession  of  a 
very  valuable  lot  on  Post  Street,  and  at  the  third  Quar- 
terly Conference,  July  17,  1862,  it  was  resolved  to  sell 
or  mortgage  it.  It  was  accordingly  sold,  and  part  of 
the  price  paid  on  preacher's  salary,  and  the  rest  expend- 
ed on  other  debts.  Our  people  were  greatly  discouraged 
at  the  time.  Our  Nation  was  in  the  midst  of  a  fratrici- 
dal war,  and  our  Church  and  ministry  were  ostracised, 
and  through  the  clouds  and  gloom  there  seemed  to  be 
no  light  falling  upon  the  future.  Under  these  circum- 
stances we  let  slip  from  our  possession  one  of  the  raost 
valuable  lots  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  Morris  Ev- 
ans was  sent  to  San  Francisco  in  1862.  The  brethren 
still  held  to  their  chosen  name,  and  the  record  of  the 
quarterly-meeting  reads:  "The  first  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence of  the  Pacific  Methodist  Church,  San  Francisco 
Station,  Pacific  Annual  Conference,  for  the  Conference- 
year  of  1S62-3,  was  held  at  the  office  of  Brother  Spen- 
cer, December  1,  1862,  at  7  o'clock  p.m."  We  find  in 
the  Minutes  of  this  Quarterly  Conference  the  follow- 
ing: "  On  motion  of  Brother  Evans,  the  tender  of  Broth- 
er J.  C.  Ayers  of  a  church-lot  on  Mariposa  Street  was 
accepted,  the  church  to  be  erected  to  be  called  the  Sum- 
merville  Methodist  Church.  On  motion  of  Brother 
Evans,  the  following  persons  were  elected  a  Board  of 
Trustees  for  this  Church-property:  Charles  Spencer,  R. 
Cain,  R.  Larimore,  J.  C.  Ayers,  C.  L.  Newman,  C.  A. 
Klose,  P.  W.  Taylor;  and  said  trustees  were  authorized  to 
take  the  deed  of  said  property  to  themselves  from  Broth- 
er Ayers,  and  thereafter  the  presiding  elder  is  authorized 
and   requested   to  make  and  file  in  the   proper  office  a 


43S  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

certificate  of  incorporation  of  said  trustees,  as  a  religious 
society,  under  the  corporate  name  of .  On  mo- 
tion, Brothers  Ayers,  Larimore,  and  Klose  were  appoint- 
ed a  Building  Committee. " 

During  the  pastorate  of  M.  Evans  the  congregation 
left  the  Pine-street  church,  and  rented  a  small  hall  on 
Mission  Street,  between  Second  and  Third. 

In  1S63  Samuel  Brown  was  appointed  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. At  the  first  Quarterly  Conference  "  the  Board 
of  Trustees  were  appointed  a  committee  to  estimate  the 
cost  of  a  building  for  a  new  church.'" 

Brother  Brown  moved  forward  vigorously  with  the 
work  of  church-building.  The  Ayers  donation  comes 
no  more  in  sight.  Whatever  became  of  the  lot  on 
Mariposa  Street  we  are  not  advised.  A  lot  was  secured 
on  Minna  Street,  a  narrow  street  running  parallel  with 
Mission  and  Howard,  and  between  these  streets.  The 
church-lot  was  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  Streets.  The 
location  was  very  unfortunate,  and  yet  at  the  time  it 
seemed  the  very  place.  In  August  the  church  was  com- 
pleted, and  on  the  7th  day  of  that  month  (1S64)  Bishop 
H.  H.  Kavanaugh  preached  the  dedication  sermon. 

Once  more  were  we  in  a  house  of  our  own  in  San 
Francisco,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing  all  over  the 
Conference  at  the  event.  Brother  Brown  was  looked 
upon  as  a  hero,  as  he  was.  The  mistake  of  location 
was  not  his  so  much  as  the  official  board.  We  had 
been  tossed  about  by  adverse  winds  so  long  that  any 
haven  seemed  a  blessing  beyond  estimation.  The  breth- 
ren took  courage,  and  began  once  more  to  lift  their 
heads;  for  it  was,  on  motion  of  Brother  Spencer, 

Resolved,    That   this    Society    shall    hereafter   be    called    and 
known  as  the  "  Minna-Street  Methodist  Church.  South,"  and  that 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


439 


the  said  Board  of  Trustees  and  their  successors  in  office  be  in- 
corporated as  a  religious  corporation  under  the  provisions  and 
act  entitled  "an  act  concerning  corporations,  passed  April  22, 
1850,"  and  the  acts  amendatory  and  supplemental  thereof,  under 
and  by  the  corporate  name  of  the  "Minna-street  Methodist 
Church,  South,"  and  that  the  presiding  elder,  the  Rev.  A.  M. 
Bailey,  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  requested  and  directed  to  duly  sign 
and  acknowledge,  and  cause  to  be  duly  filed  and  recorded,  a  cer- 
tificate of  incorporation  to  that  effect. 

The  following  year  S.  Brown  was  returned  to  the 
charge;  but  at  the  first  quarterly-meeting,  held  Novem- 
ber 7,  1864,  with  the  consent  of  both  parties,  the  pre- 
siding elder  (A.  M.  Bailey)  placed  Brother  Brown  in 
charge  of  Suisun  Circuit,  and  put  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  who 
had  been  sent  to  the  latter  place,  in  charge  of  San 
Francisco. 

The  third  Quarterly  Conference  for  the  charge  was 
held  April  17,  1S65,  just  after  the  memorable  assassina- 
tion of  President  Lincoln.  On  motion  of  Brother  Fitz- 
gerald, the  following  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the 
body : 

Resolved,  That  in  common  with  our  fellow -citizens  of  all  par- 
ties we  heartily  reprobate  the  crime  which  has  deprived  our  Na- 
tion of  its  Chief  Magistrate  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  and  with 
them  we  deplore  the  consequences  likely  to  result  therefrom. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  body  and  the  congregation 
it  represents  are  hereby  tendered  to  Chief  Burke,  of  the  city  po- 
lice, for  the  efficient  measures  taken  by  him  to  secure  our  Church- 
property  from  injury  on  Saturday  evening,  the  15th  instant. 

Resolved,  That  the  soldierly  and  gentlemanly  deportment  of 
the  city  police  and  the  military  while  guarding  the  Church- 
property  deserves,  and  hereby  receives,  the  expression  of  our 
approbation  and  thanks. 

These  resolutions  will  show  better  than  any  words 
we  can  use  the  state  of  feeling  toward  us  as  a  Church 


44° 


History  of  Southern  Methodism 


in  this  great  city,  when  an  obscure  little  church  had  to 
be  guarded  by  police  and  soldiery  from  destruction. 
The  mob  raved  like  ravening  wolves,  and  was  hungry 
for  some  object  upon  which  to  expend  its  fury.  No 
sound  but  the  notes  of  the  gospel  of  peace  had  ever 
been  heard  within  the  walls  of  this  building.  The  rec- 
ord of  our  Church  for  fifteen  years  had  been  a  record 
of  peace  and  good-will  to  men  on  this  coast.  But  all 
this  went  for  naught  when  the  eyes  of  the  mob,  hot 
with  passion  and  urged  on  by  those  who  should  have 
known  better,  were  set  on  the  lettering  "South,"  like  a 
mad  bull,  with  nothing  but  a  red  flag  in  view,  ready  to 
toss  and  gore  friend  and  foe  alike.  But  God  was  at 
our  right  hand,  and  out  of  all  our  troubles  he  brought 
us,  and  "  there  was  not  the  smell  of  fire  upon  our  gar- 
ments.'' No  one  not  present  can  imagine  the  perils  of 
the  hour,  nor  the  wonder  of  the  deliverance.  On  the 
Sunday  following  the  assassination  of  President  Lin- 
coln a  mob  of  many  thousand  men  gathered  at  the  in- 
tersection of  Fourth  and  Minna  Streets,  with  cries  of, 
"Tear  down  the  Rebel  church!"  "Burn  it!"  "Hang 
Fitzgerald,  the  Rebel  preacher!"  etc.  Dr.  Fitzgerald 
was  warned  by  personal  friends  of  Northern  birth  and 
sentiments  that  he  would  be  mobbed  if  seen  on  the 
streets  that  day,  but  he  passed  through  the  howling 
rabble  unharmed  and  unfrightened,  and  preached  to  an 
audience  of  forty-three  persons,  mostly  women.  The 
caprices  of  popular  opinion  find  illustration  in  the  fact 
that  two  years  afterward  Dr.  Fitzgerald  received  a  ma- 
jority of  fifteen  hundred  votes  in  San  Francisco  for  the 
office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
to  which  office  he  was  then  elected. 

Over  $1,603  was  raised  and   paid  to  the  presiding 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  441 

elder  and  preachers  by  the  charge  this  year.  During 
the  war  men  of  business  were  afraid  to  be  seen  attend- 
ing our  church,  and  some  of  our  warmest  friends,  not 
members,  would  slip  in  the  church  at  night  after  serv- 
ices began,  and  out  again  just  before  the  close.  They 
would  meet  the  preacher  on  the  street,  and  slipping  a 
piece  of  money  in  his  hand,  would  say,  "  Don't  say  any 
thing  about  it."  They  were  afraid  for  it  to  be  known 
that  they  contributed  to  the  support  of  a  Southern 
Methodist  preacher. 

In  these  days  of  peace  and  prosperity  we  can  scarce- 
ly realize  these  facts.  But  we  know  whereof  we  af- 
firm. Doubtless  many  that  opposed  us  in  an  early  day, 
and  during  the  war,  are  now  heartily  ashamed  of  it. 
We  trust  God  has  as  freely  and  fully  forgiven  them  as 
we  have,  and  only  a  desire  to  be  faithful  to  history  in- 
duces us  to  record  the  facts  in  these  pages. 

In  the  year  1865  O.  P.  Fitzgerald  was  returned  to  the 
charge. 

W.  R.  Gober,  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  and  J.  C.  Simmons 
were  elected  delegates  to  the  General  Conference.  By 
Conference  resolution  the  one  receiving  the  highest 
vote  was  to  have  his  expenses  met  first,  so  that  we 
might  have  at  least  one  representative  in  that  body. 
W.  R.  Gober  had  gone,  when  the  Church  in  San  Fran- 
cisco determined  that  they  would  send  their  pastor,  and 
they  raised  the  money  for  that  purpose,  and  O.  P.  Fitz- 
gerald was  added  to  the  members  of  that  memorable 
Conference  which  met  in  New  Orleans,  and  which 
made  such  radical  changes  in  the  economy  of  the 
Church.  While  away,  his  members  and  the  friends  of 
the  Church  refitted  the  parsonage  with  new  carpets 
and  furniture,  and  gave  him  such  a  welcome  on  his  re- 


44-2  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

turn  as  to  make  him  feel  that  he  was  their  pastor,  and 
fully  appreciated  as  such. 

At  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference,  September  7, 
1866,  the  Sunday-school  is  reported  with  a  membership 
of  65,  8  regular  officers  and  teachers,  600  volumes  in 
library,  and  $200  raised  for  Sunday-school  purposes. 
Besides  this  they  contributed  the  sum  of  $1,500  to  the 
support  of  the  preacher  in  charge,  $100  to  the  presiding 
elder,  and  $50  to  defray  the  expenses  of  W.  R.  Gober 
to  the  General  Conference.  What  was  given  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  their  pastor  to  the  General  Conference 
and  to  fit  up  the  parsonage  is  not  known. 

E.  K.  Miller  was  preacher  in  charge  in  1866-7;  I868-o, 
Jesse  Wood;  1870,  A.  M.  Bailey.  During  these  years 
there  was  no  marked  change. 

At  the  Conference  in  187 1  it  was  left  to  be  supplied. 
In  the  midst  of  the  year  Dabney  Ball,  of  the  Baltimore 
Conference,  was  sent  out  and  put  in  charge.  His  expe- 
rience did  not  differ  from  that  of  many  of  his  prede- 
cessors. He  was  a  physical  sufferer,  and  did  his  work 
under  great  bodily  pain.  He  did  not  remain  the  whole 
year.  But  when  E.  E.  Hoss  was  transferred  to  us  he 
took  charge.  For  two  years  he  battled  with  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  situation,  when  W.  J.  Mahon  was  sent  out 
by  Bishop  Pierce  as  the  preacher.  During  his  admin- 
istration the  church  near  Columbia  Square,  on  Russ 
Street,  owned  by  the  Baptists,  was  offered  for  sale. 
Application  was  made  to  the  Mission  Board,  who  made 
a  donation  of  $5,000,  and  we  sold  the  Minna-street 
church  to  the  Campbellite  Christians,  and  moved  into 
our  new  quarters,  which  cost  us  $17,000.  To  all  ap- 
pearance this  was  a  grand  move.  The  building  was  65 
by  90  feet,  with  basement,  all  well  furnished.     But  the 


Ox  the  Pacific  Coast.  443 

little  congregation  which  made  a  very  good  show  in  the 
cozy  little  chapel  on  Minna  Street  were  almost  lost  in 
this  great  church,  and  we  found  it  took  more  than  a 
building,  however  well  furnished,  to  make  a  successful 
Church.  In  1875  ^-  ^-  Mahon  was  transferred  with 
the  understanding  that  he  would  be  the  man  for  San 
Francisco.  He  remained  but  a  few  weeks,  when  he 
returned.  In  1876  C.  Chamberlin  took  charge.  He 
was  more  successful  than  many  that  had  preceded  him. 
A.  M.  Campbell  was  appointed  the  following  year,  but 
failed  to  take  charge.  J.  C.  Simmons  had  been  ap- 
pointed College  Agent  that  year,  and  failing  to  realize 
his  expectations,  he  was  appointed  by  Bishop  McTyeire 
in  his  place. 

At  the  following-  Conference  W.  M.  Prottsman  was 
transferred  by  Bishop  Wightman  and  put  in  charge. 
One  year  convinced  Brother  Prottsman  that  San  Fran- 
cisco was  a  hard  place,  and  H.  A.  M.  Henderson  was 
sent  to  take  charge.  No  man  ever  entered  with  higher 
hopes  than  he.  But  the  same  fate  awaited  him  that 
had  befallen  others  before  him.  He  fought  the  diffi- 
culties for  one  year,  and  when  re-appointed  the  second 
year,  he  gave  up  and  returned  to  the  Eastern  Slope,  and 
again  was  J.  C.  Simmons  sent  to  take  charge. 

This  brings  us  to  this  Conference,  when  Bishop  Har- 
grove made  two  appointments  in  San  Francisco  instead 
of  one.  J.  C.  Simmons  was  left  in  charge  of  St.  Paul's, 
as  the  Russ-street  Church  was  called,  and  appointed  T. 
H.  B.  Anderson  to  California  Street,  an  entirely  new 
charge.  Dr.  Anderson  hired  a  hall  and  went  bravely 
to  work.  A  number  of  the  best  members  of  the  Church 
were  at  once  transferred  to  the  new  charge.  This  great- 
ly  weakened  St.  Paul's.     After  a  four-months'  trial,  it 


444  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

was  thought  best  to  abandon  the  Russ-street  location 
and  concentrate  our  forces  on  the  California-street 
charge.  Just  then  a  petition  was  circulated  in  Oakland, 
praying  the  Bishop  to  send  J.  C  Simmons  to  that  city 
to  organize  a  Church.     The  change  was  made. 

P.  Tuggle,  C.  C.  Clay,  S.  B.  Wakefield,  W.  F.  Goad, 
and  others  took  hold  of  matters  with  energy.  An  eli- 
gible lot  on  Bush  Street,  between  Octavia  and  Gough, 
was  purchased,  and  a  plan  formed  to  move  the  church 
from  Russ  Street.  It  was  an  immense  building,  65  by 
90  feet,  wider  than  most  of  the  streets  inside  the  curb- 
ing. But  a  responsible  party  contracted  for  the  sum  of 
$8,000  to  move  it  and  set  it  in  good  shape  on  the  Bush- 
street  lot  The  church  was  first  cut  in  two,  but  it  was 
found  necessary  to  take  off  some  ten  feet  more  from  one 
of  the  parts.  It  was  then  moved  some  two  miles 
through  the  city,  put  together,  and  is  as  good  if  not  bet- 
ter than  ever.  The  whole  of  the  inside  has  been  thor- 
oughly renovated,  and  the  entire  building  put  in  the 
best  of  order.  Since  the  removal  it  has  greatly  pros- 
pered under  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  C.  B.  Riddick,  who  is 
now  serving  the  people  his  third  year.  The  building 
was  moved  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  T.  H.  B.  An- 
derson. A  word  more  in  regard  to  the  locality  on  Russ 
Street.  It  may,  to  the  uninformed,  seem  strange  that 
some  one  of  the  many  able  preachers  that  have  from 
time  to  time  filled  the  pulpit  there,  did  not  succeed.  But 
there  were  various  causes  that  operated  to  prevent  suc- 
cess. In  the  first  place,  it  was  on  an  obscure  street,  only  a 
block  and  a  half  long,  and  in  a  city  like  San  Francisco 
such  a  street  is  unknown,  except  to  those  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity.  Ask  any  one,  even  a  policeman,  in  any 
other  part  of  the  city,  for  Russ   Street,  and  he  would 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  445 

have  to  refer  to  the  Directory  to  tell  you  where  it  is. 
We  have  known  members  to  be  in  the  city  for  weeks 
trying  to  find  our  church,  without  success.  And  time 
and  time  again  have  we  heard  the  expression,  "  This  is 
the  hardest  place  in  the  city  to  find."  Again,  it  was  in 
the  midst  of  a  foreign  population,  made  up  of  Jews  and 
Catholics.  During  Mr.  Moody's  revival  the  whole  city 
was  districted,  and  committees  sent  to  every  house  to 
inquire  after  their  religious  predilections.  The  block 
•on  which  the  Russ-street  church  was  situated  con- 
tained about  200  families,  of  whom  only  seven  were 
nominally  Protestant,  and  not  one  in  sympathy  with  us. 
This  is  but  a  sample  of  all  that  portion  of  the  city. 
There  were  other  reasons  that  we  could  mention,  but 
this  is  enough. 

In  1883  J.  C.  Simmons  organized  a  Church  in  Oak- 
land, preaching  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion Hall,  on  Broadway,  near  Seventh  Street.  He  was 
followed  the  next  year  by  S.  Brown,  who  secured  a 
beautiful  church  in  the  best  part  of  the  city  for  $10,000, 
the  Church  Extension  Board  helping  with  funds. 

A  most  fraternal  spirit  between  ours  and  the  M.  E. 
Church  has  been  growing  up  for  the  past  few  years. 
Each  year  fraternal  delegates  visit  the  Conferences. 
We  understand  each  other  fully.  The  expression  is 
often  indulged  in,  "  We  do  not  seek  or  want  organic 
union.  There  is  room  enough  for  both  our  Churches 
on  this  coast.  We  want  fraternity — joining  of  hands 
and  hearts  to  fight  sin  and  save  souls."  The  following 
resolution  was  adopted  at  this  session: 

Whereas,  as  God  seems  to  have  set  his  hand  to  bring  the  dif- 
ferent tribes  of  Methodism  into  more  friendly  relations;  and 
whereas,  the  two  Conferences  of  the  M.  E.  Church  have  appoint- 


446  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

ed  delegates  to  meet  and  confer  as  to  the  best  means  of  effecting 
greater  fraternity;   therefore, 

Resolved,  That  the  Bishop  be  requested  to  appoint  a  delegate 
from  the  Pacific  Conference  to  meet  with  delegates  of  other 
Methodist  Churches. 

J.  C.  Simmons  was  appointed. 

A  very  fraternal  resolution  touching  the  death  of  Dr. 
Guard,  an  eminent  minister  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and 
once  a  member  of  the  California  Conference,  was 
passed. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  447 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

f  HE  thirty-third  session  was  held  in  Colusa,  Octo- 
|s  ber  10,  18S3,  Bishop  R.  K.  Hargrove  presiding. 
J.  W.  Atkinson,  who  had  been  away  from  Cali- 
fornia but  a  year,  returned  by  transfer  from  the  North 
Texas  Conference.  He  was  glad  enough  to  get  back 
to  the  Pacific  Conference  and  among  his  old  friends, 
and  the  joy  was  mutual. 

T.  D.  Bauer  came  as  a  transfer  from  the  St.  Louis 
Conference.  He  is  an  earnest,  efficient  man,  and  bids 
fair  to  make  us  a  valuable  member. 

G.  B.  Winton  came  by  transfer  from  the  South-west 
Missouri  Conference  He  is  a  young  man  full  of  zeal, 
and  comes  with  a  good  record. 

W.  T.  Grove,  H.  M.  McKnight,  and  M.  McWhorter 
were  re-admitted. 

W.  T.  Grove  located  after  one  year.  H.  M.  Mc- 
Knight came  back  after  a  course  at  Vanderbilt,  where 
he  had  been  sharpening  his  ecclesiastical  sword.  He 
was  put  at  the  head  of  the  primary  department  of  Pa- 
cific Methodist  College,  but  at  the  last  Conference  took 
work  as  a  station  preacher.  M.  McWhorter  has  gone 
back  to  the  local  ranks,  after  a  year's  labor. 

James  M.  Brown  was  admitted  on  trial.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  vigorous  constitution,  and  is  ready  for 
any  work  the  Church  may  assign  him. 

At  this  session  the  Conference  made  a  radical  chansre 
in  the  constitution  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  col- 


448  History  of  Southern  Methodism 

lege.  From  its  organization  it  was  composed  of  twen- 
ty-five members — thirteen  clerical,  and  twelve  lay. 
This  body  was  unwieldy,  and  we  never  could  get  them 
all  together  at  the  same  time.  So  the  number  was 
changed  to  eleven,  composed  of  five  clerical  and  six 
lay  members.  A  majority  of  the  latter  were  to  be 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 


On  the  Pacific  Coast.  449 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

HE  thirty-fourth  session  was  held  in  Santa  Rosa, 
I  October,  S,  1884,  Bishop  J.  C.  Granbery  presid- 
ing1. 

\Ve  received  by  transfer  C.  B.  Riddick,  from  the  Los 
Angeles  Conference;  G.  B.  Winton  and  G.  M.  Win- 
ton,  from  the  South-west  Missouri  Conference;  H.  C. 
Christian,  from  the  North  Georgia  Conference;  J.  W. 
Folsom,  from  the  South  Georgia  Conference;  and  C. 
O.  Steele,  from  the  Little  Rock  Conference.  W.  H. 
Townsend  was  received  on  trial.  A.  L.  Hunsaker  was 
re -admitted. 

C.  B.  Riddick  came  to  us  early  in  the  Conference- 
year,  and  was  stationed  in  San  Francisco.  He  is  now 
tilling  his  third  year  in  that  station,  and  is  doing  a  no- 
ble work. 

The  Wintons,  father  and  son,  will  no  doubt  greatly 
strengthen  us,  as  they  are  pious,  faithful  workers.  G. 
M.  Winton  is  employed  as  professor  in  Pacific  Meth- 
odist College.     His  father  is  in  the  traveling  ranks. 

H.  C.  Christian  also  came  early  in  the  year,  and  was 
stationed  in  Sacramento  City.  He  found  the  Church 
in  that  city  in  a  most  discouraged  condition.  Some  of 
the  leading  members  had  about  abandoned  hope,  after 
long  years  of  struggling.  Soon  after  his  arrival  a 
gracious  revival  began  that  lasted  for  weeks,  in  which 
the  membership  was  greatly  revived  and  their  num- 
29 


450  History  of  Southern   Methodism 

bers  more  than  doubled.     He  is  serving  them  the  third 
year. 

J.  W.  Folsom  came  about  the  time  Brother  Christian 
did,  and  has  served  us  faithfully  since  his  arrival. 

C.  O.  Steele  has  served  the  Princeton  Circuit  since 
his  coming,  and  has  more  than  doubled  the  member- 
ship of  that  charge. 

W.  H.  Townsend  was  from  Vanderbilt  University, 
and  remained  with  us  but  one  year. 

The  Pacific  Synod  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  sent 
us  a  fraternal  delegate  this  year  in  the  person  of  the 
Rev.  J.  B.  Warren.  The  California  Conference  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  as  has  been  their  custom  for  years,  also 
sent  a  fraternal  delegate,  and  messengers  were  sent 
from  the  Pacific  Conference  to  each  of  these  bodies. 

At  an  evening  session,  when  there  was  a  congrega- 
tion of  less  than  three  hundred  present,  Dr.  T.  H.  B. 
Anderson — who  had  been  acting  in  the  threefold  ca- 
pacity of  station  preacher,  college  president,  and  col- 
lege agent — made  a  showing  of  the  affairs  of  the  col- 
lege in  the  most  masterly  document  that  was  ever  pre- 
sented to  the  Pacific  Conference  with  reference  to  the 
college,  and  made  in  conclusion  a  stirring  appeal  to  the 
friends  present  to  raise  the  balance  of  the  debt,  amount- 
ing to  $6,000,  and  let  the  institution  go  free.  His  ap- 
peal met  a  hearty  response,  and  before  the  meeting 
closed  the  whole  amount  was  subscribed,  the  preachers 
giving  their  full  share  of  it.  In  recognition  of  the  serv- 
ices of  the  Doctor,  the  following  resolution  was  unan- 
imously adopted: 

Whereas,  Dr.  T.  H.  B.  Anderson  has,  by  most  earnest  and  la- 
borious effort,  succeeded  in  doing  a  noble  work  for  Pacific  Meth- 
odist College,  and  as  financial  agent  has  conducted  us  to  the 


On  the  Pacific  Coast. 


45 


dawn  of  a  brighter  day  in  the  history  of  the  institution,  in  the 
twilight  of  which  we  now  stand,  and  rejoice  in  prospect  of  the 
perfect  day;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  as  a  Conference  we  tender  to  Dr.  Anderson 
a  most  cordial  and  earnest  expression  of  thanks  and  grateful  ap- 
preciation of  his  valuable  services  in  the  arduous  field  from  which 
he  now  retires. 


452  History  of  Southern  Methodism 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

iIE  thirty -fifth  session  was  held  in  Sacramento, 
October  7,  1885,  Bishop  R.  K.  Hargrove  presid- 
ing. 

At  first  roll-call  fifty-seven  out  of  sixty-seven  clerical 
members,  and  fourteen  out  of  twenty  lay  delegates,  an- 
swered to  their  names;  and  of  the  ten  clerical  absentees 
on  the  first  day  seven  came  in  subsequently,  and  of  the 
six  laymen  three  came  in  before  Conference  closed. 

Robert  Boynes  was  the  only  one  received  on  trial. 
He  is  a  vigorous,  earnest  Englishman,  who  had  served 
the  Stockton  Station  very  acceptably  the  year  before. 

The  vote  on  the  change  of  name  was  4  ayes  and  70 
nays. 

Drs.  T.  H.  B.  Anderson  and  C.  B.  Riddick,  clerical, 
and  C.  C.  Clay  and  T.  H.  Bell,  lay,  were  elected  dele- 
gates to  the  General  Conference.  The  session  was 
harmonious  and  delightful.  We  stationed  this  year 
sixty-eight  preachers. 

And  now,  after  the  toils  of  thirty -four  vears  as  an 
Annual  Conference,  we  number  42  local  preachers; 
4,598  white,  17  colored,  and  8  Indian  members.  In- 
fants baptized  the  past  year,  176;  adults,  205.  We 
have  9  [  Sunday-schools,  with  580  teachers;  4,689  schol- 
ars. We  collected  last  year  for  Conference  claimants 
$1,068.55;  for  Foreign  Missions,  $1,006.75;  for  Domes- 
tic Missions,  $1,017.40;  for  Sunday-schools,  $1,818.31; 


Ox  this   Pacific  Coast.  453 

for  building  and  repairing  churches  and  parsonages, 
$10,18248;  for  Bishops,  $170.10;  for  the  poor,  $636: 
for  Woman's  Missionary  Society,  $57.50;  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  ministry,  $33,943.40;  for  Church  Extension. 
$629.85;  for  Educational  Sustentation  Fund,  $314.05. 
and  for  other  objects,  $6,096.88 — making  an  aggregate 
of  $56,876.07  that  was  raised  by  the  preachers  within  the 
bounds  of  Pacific  Conference.  We  have  64  churches, 
valued  at  $222,305;  43  parsonages,  valued  at  $34,430; 
while  we  have  other  Church- property,  valued  at  $45,405. 

Then  in  the  Columbia  Conference  there  are  31  local 
and  15  traveling  preachers;  a  membership  of  1,363;  17^ 
churches,  valued  at  $22,  375 ;  10  parsonages,  valued  at  $3,. 
750.  They  have  20  Sunday  -  schools,  121  officers  and 
teachers,  781  scholars,  626  volumes  in  library;  value  of 
college-property,  $10,000;  value  of  other  Church-prop- 
erty, $1,360.  They  collected  last  year  for  Bishops, 
$49.55;  Conference  claimants,  $73.85;  Foreign  Missions, 
$339.65;  Church  Extension,  $69.01 ;  preachers' salaries, 
$3,312.82  —  making  a  total  of  $3,844.88. 

In  the  Los  Angeles  Conference  there  are  23  preach- 
ers, 1,185  members;  Sundav  -  schools,  2^;  officers  and 
teachers,  198;  scholars,  1.559;  number  of  churches  19, 
valued  at  $70,950;  12  parsonages,  valued  at  $10,830; 
collected  on  preachers'  salaries,  $5,233.48. 

These  figures  show  where  we  stand  to-dav,  after  thir- 
ty  four  years  of  labor.  But  who  can  estimate  the  num- 
bers that  have  been  connected  with  our  Church  during 
these  years,  or  that  have  been  brought  under  our  influ- 
ence, or  saved  through  oar  instrumentality?  Thousands 
have  gone  into  other  Churches  that  were  converted 
under  the  labors  of  our  preachers  and  people.  The 
work  has  been  constantlv  enlarging,   and   calls  for  our 


454     History  of  Southern  Methodism,  Etc. 

Church  and  ministry  are  constantly  heard,  and  as  op- 
portunity offers  we  are  extending  our  borders. 

Had  we  been  able  to  write  the  true  history  of  the 
preachers,  as  many  of  them  have  gone  forth  amid  priva- 
tions, toils,  and  suffering,  bearing  precious  seed,  sowing 
as  they  had  opportunity,  and  often  forcing  opportunity, 
we  would  be  ready  to  conclude  that  the  heroic  age  had 
not  passed.  There  is  no  spot  of  earth  so  uninviting, 
no  land  so  destitute,  if  inhabited,  but  that  preachers 
could  be  found  in  our  midst  who  would  respond  to  a 
call  to  go  and  declare  unto  them  the  word  of  life. 

And  now  with  an  earnest  prayer  for  a  blessing  upon 
all  who  may  read  these  pages,  we  lay  down  our  pen.  and 
start  with  a  fresh  consecration,  determined  to  devote 
the  remnant  of  our  days  to  that  God  whose  hand  hath 
led  us  thus  far. 


THE   end. 


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